The Nanny
by Serendipity Cullen
Summary: AU. Alex Karev has the perfect life-he has plenty of money, a beautiful girlfriend, and he's one of the best pediatricians in the country. All of that changes in a matter of minutes when an unsuspected surprise is dropped in his lap.
1. Chapter 1 - Life Is Unexpected

Chapter 1 - Life Is UnExpected

"Thank you for walking me to my door," Izzie Stevens smiled and fumbled with the keys to her apartment as she turned to face her boyfriend.

"Of course," Alex Karev smiled and leaned in, placing a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Izzie caught his lips, deepening the kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him closer to her. "Do you want to come in?" she breathed when they parted.

Alex hesitated, giving the idea a moment's thought. "I can't," he groaned, forcing himself away from her. "I've got to pull some extra hours at the clinic tomorrow, and if I come inside...I'm not going in tomorrow, I know that." His hand moved to her hip, stroking the flesh there as the temptation of the beautiful blonde was almost too much to resist.

"But tomorrow is Saturday," Izzie pouted, that full lip tempting him even more.

"Just because your clinic is closed doesn't mean mine is," Alex smirked and leaned in, placing a few kisses to her neck, causing Izzie to groan softly. "I'll call you later."

Alex turned and moved towards his black Challenger, forcing himself to not cast a second glance to his girlfriend. If he did, Alex would be hauling Izzie into her bedroom and spending the night with her. That was the last thing he needed to be doing when he was so far behind on his work. Izzie had already enticed him away for lunch earlier that day with a quickie in the parking lot for desert, and it had set him back a couple of hours. _Completely worth it though_, Alex thought to himself as he sped away from the apartment complex.

Alex Karev had the perfect charmed life. He was quickly becoming one of the countries best pediatricians and currently worked at the Grey Sloan Memorial Children's Clinic, a spin off clinic from the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital where he completed his internship and residency. Alex was basically able to kill two birds with one stone at the children's clinic-he was able to be in charge of a clinic, which granted him a bigger salary, but he was also able to immediately whisk a child into surgery if he/she needed it. He was living the dream life. He no longer had to suffer the long hours of residency, but he could still perform a surgery whenever he itched for the OR.

Being head of the children's clinic also gave Alex more time to spend with his gorgeous girlfriend Izzie Stevens.

Alex and Izzie met during their first year as interns. It was a bumpy road, and neither of them really cared for the other, but somehow, a friendship began to form. They had ups and downs like everyone, but strangely enough, after residency was when they were able to become close as a couple. Just as Alex predicted, Izzie ditched surgery, but chose to become a Dermatologist instead when she had a scare of skin cancer. Izzie's near-death cancer sparked an interest in her, and she switched specialties. Izzie headed up her own dermatology clinic in the middle of the city, and due to her history of cancer, business was booming. Everyone believed that Izzie could spot skin cancer a mile away, so they wanted her to be the one to take care of every bump, mole, and blemish.

Alex was successful, and Izzie was successful, but together, they were one hell of a power couple. They had the looks, the money, and the fame. The only storm cloud hovering over Alex's life was that Izzie wanted marriage, and Alex wasn't ready. Alex couldn't figure out why he wasn't ready though. Izzie was a good person, and she was beautiful; completely out of his league. She was in the same field as he was, so Alex knew that Izzie wasn't a gold digger. He still couldn't figure out _why _he didn't have the desire to propose to Izzie.

Alex was financially ready for a wife. In fact, he even wanted a few kids. What was stopping him? What was holding him back from taking that next step into adult hood?

His life was perfect.

The only thing about perfection...it doesn't usually last long.

Alex parked his car outside of his town house and whistled to himself as he set the alarm and started towards the door. His brows furrowed as he neared his front door and saw someone sitting on the doorstep. "Who's there?" he frowned as the figure shifted positions. "Amber?"

"Hey, Alex," Amber Karev sighed as her oldest brother approached. "I was hoping you still lived here."

Alex pursed his lips. He loved his sister dearly, but...whenever Amber showed up, it usually wasn't for good news. "What's wrong? Did Aaron try to hurt you again?"

"No, he's still in the institution," Amber replied and moved to her feet. "Ssshhhh," she soothed as the child in her arms began to squawk.

Alex stopped, his hand half-way to the doorknob. "Is that your baby?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Not now, Alex," Amber sighed heavily. "Please, just let me in, and I'll tell you everything."

Alex looked to his sister, shaking his head. Typical, just typical. He knew that whenever Amber showed up, she brought along a tornado of insanity. After unlocking the door, Alex ushered Amber inside and closed the door behind him. "Out with it," he ordered and flipped on a lamp.

"Nice place," Amber mused as she looked around. "You're really making money now, aren't you?"

"Something like that," Alex replied carefully. He'd just managed to pay off his student loans last month, so he finally had some financial breathing room. He didn't want Amber thinking he was loaded or anything. "Who's the kid?"

"This is Sarah," Amber smiled, looking down to her daughter. "She's three months old."

"Adorable," Alex replied dryly, barely glancing at the baby as he ran his hand through his hair. "What happened, Amber? I thought we had everything planned! Last I heard, you were going to college to major in business, and you had your head on straight! What the hell happened?!"

"Ssshhhh," Amber hissed as Sarah begin to cry in her arms. "She doesn't like yelling!"

"Where did she even come from?!" Alex exclaimed, throwing a hand in the child's direction. He watched as his sister attempted to handle the fussing infant. "Here, give her to me." Alex plucked the squawking baby from his sister's arms and cuddled her against his chest. "Ssshhh," he soothed, bouncing her gently and walking with her around his living room. "There you go," he smiled, looking down into her big blue eyes as she stared up at him. "She's beautiful, Ambs."

"You're a natural," Amber remarked quietly as she watched her big brother with her baby. "She loves you already."

"Who doesn't?" Alex smirked and placed a kiss to the baby's head. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" he asked as he sat in the recliner and cradled Sarah in his arms.

"I knew you were going to freak out," Amber confessed and dropped onto the couch. "It wasn't planned or anything, it just happened."

"Didn't I give you the safe sex talk when you were thirteen?" Alex frowned. "What, you get out of the house and forget all of that?"

"Stop nagging me!" Amber snapped. "You're not my dad!"

"You better be glad of that," Alex warned with dark eyes. "I'd give you the beating you deserve and put you in a convent."

"I'm too evil for a convent," Amber chuckled and looked down to her hands. "His name is Billy," she sighed, glancing back to Alex. "We've been dating off and on for a few months. One night I got really drunk at this party, and..." She bit her lip as Alex frowned at her. "Anyway, when I found out I was pregnant, Billy kicked me out. He's not ready to be a father."

"Clearly," Alex remarked dryly.

"I fell behind in my classes, so I failed out," Amber sighed, tears filling her eyes. "Then, I lost my job, and now I have nowhere to go."

Alex grit his teeth and shook his head. He couldn't stay angry with Amber; she was barely an adult who ran into some hard times. Lord knows it could have been Alex with the way he was sleeping around for a while there. "Do you want to stay here for a while?" he asked, rocking Sarah gently in his arms as her eyes drifted closed.

"Thanks, but I've got somewhere to go," Amber replied, her gaze shifting to the ground. "I, umm, called Aunt Charlotte. She's going to let me live with her for a while until I get back on my feet."

"That's good," Alex nodded. Charlotte was the one person in their family who wasn't batshit crazy. "Getting back to Iowa will be good for you."

"I thought that too," Amber agreed and bit her nail. "I just, uh..." She sighed and ran her hand through her dark hair. "Can you float me some money for a bus ticket? I swear, I'll pay you back as soon as I get a job."

"You better," Alex remarked and stood, cradling Sarah in one arm and working his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. "Here," he said and handed his sister a few hundreds. "That should hold you over for a little while."

"Thank you, Alex," Amber said through watered eyes and wrapped her arms around him. "I knew I could count on you."

Alex wrapped his free arm around his sister and placed a kiss to her temple. "Next time call me, okay? You know I'll help you."

"I know," Amber whispered and stuffed the money into her back pocket. She wandered his living room, looking at the paintings on the walls. "Do you have something to drink?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"Yeah, hold on," Alex said and moved towards the kitchen. "I don't like the circumstances," he called over his shoulder, "but I love getting to meet my niece." He opened the refrigerator door and held Sarah close to his chest. Leaning over carefully, Alex rifled through the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. "You know, you could stay here for a few days if you wanted, Ambs. I wouldn't mind spending time with my niece." He looked down to the baby who was now blinking up at him. "No, I wouldn't," he cooed and put a kiss to her round cheeks, causing the infant to laugh.

Alex returned to the living room and scanned the vacant room. "Amber?" he asked, looking around. "Amber!" Alex moved down the hall and checked the bathroom. Empty. "Amber!" he yelled, throwing open the door to every bedroom as he cradled the child against his chest. "Amber!" Alex ran for the front door and threw it open, looking up and down the street frantically. "Aaammmbbbeeerrrrrrr!"

Gone.

Amber was gone!

Alex looked to the now crying infant in his arms as he moved back inside. "Ssshhhh," he soothed, rocking her gently. Alex worked the cellphone from his pocket and dialed his sister's number.

_The number you've dialed has been disconnected. Please check the number and try your call again later_

"Damnit!" Alex cursed and threw the phone onto the sofa. Amber had dropped her child in his lap and left! He wasn't ready to take care of a baby! Alex had a job, not just a job, but a career! He had patients to see and surgeries to perform! He didn't have time for a baby right now!

Alex snatched up the phone and dialed Amber's number again, only to get the same message. "Bitch!" he spat and threw the phone onto the sofa again. Amber had completely played him! She'd set him up and like an idiot, he fell for it! When was Alex going to learn that his siblings only came to him when they needed something? They weren't the type of family to drop in for lovey-dovey visits with no hidden agenda.

Alex paced the living room of his home for an hour as his mind ran a mile a second. How was he going to do this? He didn't even own a baby bed! Or diapers! Or formula! It was clear that Sarah was getting hungry because she was getting fussy and sucking her thumb. Alex couldn't even go to the drugstore up the street because he didn't have a car seat! If Amber was going to drop the baby in his lap, why didn't she at least pack a diaper bag?!

Alex took a slow, deep breath and picked up his cell, dialing the number of the one person he knew he could count on.

* * *

"Thank you for coming," Alex sighed an hour later as he opened the door to his home.

"No problem," Arizona chirped as she and Callie swooped in with an arm load of baby supplies.

"We'd have been here sooner, but we had to go to storage to get Sophia's things," Callie said as she dropped a diaper bag onto Alex's sofa. "You don't mind using hand-me-downs, do you?"

"I'll take anything and be grateful," Alex sighed.

"We got her the formula Sophia used," Arizona informed him as she retrieved bottles and formula from a shopping bag. "It's gentle on the stomach." Arizona walked over to him and gazed at the baby. "She's gorgeous, Karev," she smiled and ran her fingers over the locks of brown hair. "She looks just like you."

"The Karev genes are very pronounced," Alex smirked. "Thank you, Arizona, I don't know how I would have survived tonight without you."

Arizona gave him a smile and patted his arm. "I'll take her if you'd like to help Callie bring in the rest of the baby stuff."

Alex handed his niece to his mentor and joined Callie outside, helping her unload everything he'd need for a new baby. A baby bed, a changing table, a car seat, a playpen, diapers, formula, clothes, and plenty of toys. Once everything was unloaded, Alex assembled the baby bed in the bedroom across the hall from his room while Callie set up the baby monitors. Arizona fed Sarah, changed her, and put her to bed as Alex started up the mobile.

"She just dropped her here and _left_?" Callie gaped as the three adults collapsed in the living room.

"Yeah," Alex sighed and made sure the monitor was on. "I dropped Izzie off after dinner, and when I got home, Amber was sitting on my doorstep."

"What did she want?" Arizona asked as Callie shook her head.

Alex ran his hand over his head and took a drink of his beer. "She said she was going to Iowa to live with Aunt Charlotte for a while, and she needed some money. I gave it to her and went to get her some water. When I came back, she was gone."

"Did you call her?" Callie asked as she and Arizona exchanged a look.

"Her phone is cut off."

The women groaned. "She set you up good," Arizona shook her head.

"Tell me about it," Alex muttered and dropped his head onto the back of the couch. "I don't know what to do! I don't have time for a kid right now!"

"No one ever has time for a kid, Karev," Callie chuckled.

"You know what I mean!" Alex snapped. "I didn't even have a bed! If it weren't for you two, Sarah would have slept on the floor!" He closed his eyes and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "And what am I going to do with her when I have to work? She can't come to the clinic!" He sighed heavily and opened his eyes, looking to his coworkers. "Do you think she'd be eligible for childcare at the hospital?"

Arizona and Callie exchanged another look as Arizona winced. "Yeah, uh, about that..."

"The Avery foundation cut the child care last month," Callie informed him.

"What?!" Alex exploded, jumping to his feet.

"They're cutting costs," Arizona nodded. "I think they're turning the area into another lab."

"Great!" Alex exclaimed and threw up his hands. "What am I going to do?! I don't have time for this!"

"Karev, relax," Arizona instructed, moving to her feet. "It's going to be okay, you'll see. Just spend the weekend getting to know your niece. Babies are awesome."

"Totally awesome," Callie smiled, joining her wife's side.

"Then, on Monday, take a few days off from the clinic," Arizona suggested. "George can handle it just fine. Spend that time to get Sarah into a daycare."

"Piece of cake," Callie chirped.

"Yeah," Alex muttered. "Piece of cake." There went his savings.

* * *

"You paged me nine one one?" Arizona asked Wednesday afternoon as she ran into the children's clinic. "Hey, Sarah," she cooed, lavishing kisses on the baby girl's cheeks.

"I've called every daycare in Seattle!" Alex exclaimed. "There's a waiting list at every one! Every freaking one! I don't know what I'm going to do with her!"

Arizona made a face and looked to him. "And you still haven't located Amber?"

"No!" Alex exclaimed. "No one has heard from her in a week!"

Arizona grabbed Alex's shoulders and shook him. "Get a grip!" she exclaimed. "Take a breath." Arizona watched as Alex took a slow breath. "Okay, here's what you're going to do. You're going to put out an ad for a nanny."

"A nanny?!" Alex spat. "Seriously?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Arizona snapped. Alex went mute. "Put out an ad for a nanny. Everyone is doing it now-a-days, especially those with careers. Callie and I got one last month when they closed down the daycare. How much can you afford?"

"Not much," Alex admitted and made a face. "I just got all of my loans paid off, so I don't have much to spare."

"Hmmmm," Arizona mused and began pacing the floor of the clinic. "I've got it," she snapped her fingers. "You've got a nice house, so make it live-in."

"Live in?!" Alex exploded. "No way! I'm not having some stranger live in my house to take care of a baby that's not even mine!" Not to mention that Izzie would freak out.

"What else can you do?" Arizona asked. "Or do you plan to quit your career now?"

Alex grasped for straws, but couldn't come up with anything. "I'm going to murder Amber the next time I see her," he grumbled and looked to the sleeping baby.

Arizona smiled triumphantly. "It's better to have a live-in nanny anyway," she reasoned, "in case you're called out in the middle of the night for an emergency."

"Yeah, okay," Alex agreed, then hesitated. "I don't even know what qualifications to look for. I've never done this before."

"Don't worry, me and Callie will be there," Arizona smirked. "If we leave it up to you, you'll hire the one with the biggest boobs whether she's qualified or not."

"You got that right," Alex grinned and looked to the sleeping child. He never knew that in a matter of minutes, his life was going to be turned upside down.


	2. Chapter 2 - A Breath of Fresh Air

**A/N - Thank you all for the wonderful, encouraging reviews! :)**

* * *

Chapter 2 - A Breath of Fresh Air

"You're late," Arizona observed Friday afternoon as Alex hurried into his living room.

"A kid threw up on me," Alex frowned.

"Ew, I hope you took a shower," Callie said with a scrunched nose.

"What do you think took so long?" Alex snipped and looked into the playpen, seeing Sarah laying on her back and kicking her feet. He smiled instinctively when the baby cooed at him. "How was she?" he asked as he leaned into the playpen and scooped up his niece.

"She's a wonderful baby," Callie raved. "You really lucked up, Karev."

"Thanks for taking the day off," Alex sighed and held Sarah against his chest, kissing the top of her head. "I swear, it's going to take two weeks to catch up on my work."

"Even more reason to get a nanny," Arizona smirked knowingly.

"Yeah, yeah," Alex rolled his eyes and returned Sarah to the playpen, handing her a rattle. "Who's coming in today?"

"We've got five," Callie informed him and flipped through a legal pad. "Lexie Grey, Stephanie Edwards, April Kepner, Heather Brooks, and Jo Wilson."

"Jo?" Alex asked with raised eyebrows. "I'm not sharing my house with a guy. Mark him off."

"We're giving everyone a chance," Arizona reasoned. "Some guys bond with babies very well."

"Yeah, gay guys," Alex replied and dropped into his recliner. "No offense."

Callie rolled her eyes as the doorbell rang. "It's time!" she exclaimed and hurried for the door.

"She seems a little too excited about this," Alex remarked quietly to Arizona.

"She thinks you're going to meet the perfect woman today," Arizona replied.

"Hey," Alex frowned. "I have Izzie."

"You know she doesn't like Izzie."

Alex's frown deepened as Callie escorted a dark-haired young woman into his living room. "Hey, I'm Alex Karev," he introduced himself and extended his hand.

"Hey, uh, hi, I'm Lexie Grey," the woman introduced herself and shook his hand.

"These are my colleagues, Arizona Robbins and Callie Torres," Alex informed her and motioned to the women at his side. "They're just helping me with the interviews."

"No pressure," Lexie laughed nervously as they all took a seat.

"So, Lexie," Arizona began, "what makes you want to be a nanny?"

"I love kids," Lexie replied automatically. "I come from a small family, and I always wanted a lot of younger brothers and sisters." She hesitated, taking a nervous breath. "I haven't met the right guy to have a child of my own, so...I guess I'll just live vicariously through you." She laughed again and ran her hand over her hair.

"Relax," Callie told her with a warm smile. "We're not some trolls under a bridge ready to eat you. Do you have a resume?"

"Yes, right here," Lexie replied and reached into her purse, producing a sheet of paper.

Arizona and Callie leaned in, skimming the paper. "You worked at a summer camp when you were a teenager?" Arizona asked, glancing over to Lexie.

"Yes," Lexie nodded. "I also worked at the YMCA downtown."

"Sounds like you have a lot of experience with kids," Callie nodded.

"Kids aren't babies though," Alex pointed out.

"I've been babysitting since I was twelve," Lexie spoke quickly. "I have plenty of experience with babies. I'm even CPR certified." She reached into her purse and produced her CPR card.

"Impressive," Arizona nodded.

"Thorough," Callie chimed in.

Alex bit his lip. Lexie seemed perfect. He couldn't explain it, but he wasn't comfortable with a total stranger taking care of his niece. "You seem very well qualified, Lexie," he said and stood. "I guess we just need to see how you interact with the baby."

Callie raised her eyebrows and turned to her wife as Alex moved to the playpen. "He wants to see how Lexie and Sarah get along?"

"I taught him well, didn't I?" Arizona beamed.

"I'll say," Callie smiled, watching as Alex eased Sarah into Lexie's arms.

"Hey, pretty girl," Lexie cooed and bounced the infant in her arms.

"Her name is Sarah," Alex spoke up defensively.

"Hi, Sarah," Lexie smiled down to the baby. "You're a pretty girl, yes you are." Sarah looked up to her, then began to fuss.

"Give her a minute," Arizona spoke as Alex moved to retrieve Sarah from Lexie's arms.

"Oh, it's okay," Lexie soothed and moved Sarah to her shoulder, rubbing small circles on the child's back.

Alex watched as Lexie tried everything she could to calm Sarah, but nothing was working. Sarah just didn't click with Lexie. "Yeah, this isn't gonna work," he said and gathered Sarah into his arms. The baby promptly stopped crying, curled towards him, and stuck her finger in her mouth.

"Sometimes the chemistry isn't there," Callie offered as a devastated look crossed Lexie's face.

"We'll give you a great reference," Arizona assured her as Lexie gathered her things.

"Thanks," Lexie smiled as they walked her to the door. "I hope you can find someone to help you out. You're good people."

"Damn," Callie frowned and marked Lexie off the list. "I really liked her."

"Me too," Arizona frowned. "Maybe we can have her as a back up if Sadie quits."

"Good idea," Callie nodded and jotted down Lexie's information.

"Who's next?" Alex asked, moving into the kitchen and pulling the formula from a cabinet as Sarah began to fuss.

"Stephanie Edwards," Arizona read off her legal tablet. "She doesn't have any references."

"That's weird," Alex remarked as he made up the bottle and tested the temperature before putting the nipple to Sarah's lips.

"Not everyone can be a Lexie Grey," Callie shrugged as someone knocked on the door. "This must be Stephanie. Hey," she greeted after opening the door.

"Hey," the young woman greeted. "I'm Stephanie Edwards."

"Nice to meet you," Callie smiled and motioned to the dining room chair. "This is Alex, the guy you'll be living with," she introduced as she sat on the couch beside Arizona.

"Hey," Alex nodded.

"Nice house," Stephanie remarked as she looked around. "Do you have cable? Wifi?"

"Yeah," Alex replied, casting an unsure look to Callie and Arizona.

"Where will I be staying?" Stephanie asked, glancing towards the hall.

Callie looked to her wife before speaking. "Well, uh, before we get to that, why don't we learn a little bit about you. Have you ever had a job as a nanny before?"

"Oh, God no," Stephanie shook her head. "I don't like kids."

Three pairs of eyes stared back at her blankly. "You don't like kids?" Arizona questioned. "Why are you even here?"

"I just moved to the city, and jobs are hard to come by," Stephanie shrugged. "This is the best one that doesn't involve any sexual favors, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I think we're done here," Callie remarked and stood. "Thanks for coming by."

"The interview is over?" Stephanie stuttered as Callie escorted her to the door.

"Oh yeah," Callie replied and crossed her name off of the list. "Don't call us, we'll call you." Callie slammed the door behind the woman and turned to her colleagues. "Can you believe that? Who doesn't like kids?!"

"We're never going to find a nanny," Alex sighed heavily and pulled the bottle from Sarah's lips.

"Don't be negative," Arizona instructed. "We still have three more to go."

Alex kept his mouth shut. Honestly, he didn't have high hopes for the other three. Lexie was probably the best candidate, and Sarah didn't like her. Alex draped a burp cloth over his shoulder and began patting Sarah on the back gently. "Just like a Karev," he laughed when the child belted loudly.

"That must be April," Arizona smiled when the doorbell rang. "I think you'll like her, Alex."

"Yeah, she's very good," Callie chimed in. "We almost hired her for Sophia."

"So why didn't you?" Alex asked as Arizona moved to the door.

"Sophia didn't care for her," Callie frowned.

"That's two out of three," Alex remarked dryly. "I should just quit the clinic now."

"Be patient," Arizona instructed before throwing open the door. "April, hi!"

"We meet again," April smiled, hugging Arizona briefly before stepping inside. "Is this _your_ baby daddy, Arizona?"

"No, no, no," Callie laughed. "This is Alex Karev, he works with us at the hospital."

"Nice to meet you," April cast him a look before her eyes moved to Sarah. "And who is this little angel?"

"This is Sarah," Alex introduced as April plucked her from his arms.

"Hey, Sarah," April cooed as she began walking around the living room with the infant. "I'm April, and we're going to be great friends."

"I told you she was awesome," Callie grinned.

Alex scowled towards April. "I don't know..."

"She's CPR certified too," Arizona spoke up. "She's taken a self-defense class, and trained for national disasters."

"And I was a youth leader in my church," April added. "I also served in the nursery on Sunday mornings. Well, we alternated weeks so that we could still hear the sermon, but you know what I mean."

"Church?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow. "Will you be taking Sarah to church on Sunday mornings?"

"Of course," April smiled. "The nursery workers are great, so I know she'll love them." April turned to the baby and blew on her stomach, causing her to giggle. "You'll love them, yes you will, yes you will."

Alex made a face of disgust. "You seem perfect for the job, April."

"Great, so when should I move in?" April asked, swinging Sarah in the air.

"We'll call you after we interview the other applicants," Alex stated and retrieved Sarah from the redhead's arms.

"I look forward to your call," April chirped as Alex escorted her out.

Callie and Arizona exchanged a look as Alex closed the door. "You don't like her, do you?" Callie asked with narrowed eyes.

"No," Alex shook his head. "She's too...too..._happy_."

"Too happy?!" Arizona exclaimed. "Babies like happy!"

"I don't like happy," Alex countered. "She's annoying. I swear, I'll kill her in her sleep."

"You're too picky," Callie frowned and crossed April's name off the list. "Well, that only leaves Heather Brooks and Jo Wilson."

"I told you to mark Jo off," Alex grumbled and returned Sarah to the playpen.

"We're not going to do that at the last minute!" Arizona snapped. "That's rude!"

"I'm not living with a guy," Alex replied as the doorbell rang. "Geez, when will this day be over?" he groaned and dropped into the recliner.

"Suck it up, Karev," Callie replied and smacked him on the shoulder before going to the door. "Hey, Heather, right?"

"Yep, that's me," Heather smiled. "I'm not too early, am I?"

"You're right on time," Arizona smiled and motioned to the chair. "This is Alex Karev, the man you'll be living with. Tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Okay," Heather replied nervously and toyed with her hair. "My name is Heather Brooks, and I just moved here from California. I plan to take some pre-courses for med school."

"How awesome," Callie smiled. "We're all doctors."

"Really?" Heather exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

"Cool?" Alex muttered to Arizona. "What are we, twelve?"

Arizona frowned and nudged him with her elbow before looking back to the young girl. "Have you ever been a nanny before?"

"Actually, I have," Heather smiled and reached into her purse, pulling out a resume. "I've been a nanny for three other families. They said you could call them if you would like a reference."

"Impressive," Callie remarked as she and Arizona huddled over the sheet of paper. "No one else has really had so much nanny experience. They've just worked with kids in general, you know?"

Heather smiled. "I hope that means I can get the job..."

"We'll give you a call later and let you know our decision," Izzie's voice rang through Alex's home as she breezed inside. "Thank you for wanting to be considered for the position."

Heather mumbled a thank you as Izzie took her elbow and escorted her from the house.

"What did you do that for?!" Arizona exclaimed when Izzie returned inside.

"We weren't finished interviewing her!" Callie chimed in, scowling deeply.

"She's too hot to be the nanny," Izzie reasoned and sat on Alex's knee. "I don't want some hot girl living with _my_ boyfriend."

"Oh, so only obese fifty year olds can apply?" Callie snarked.

"Exactly," Izzie smiled sweetly and ran her fingers through Alex's hair. "I hope you don't mind me stopping in..." She put on that infamous pout.

Alex sighed heavily; he was annoyed that Izzie had just swooped in, but he was actually surprised that she hadn't shown up sooner. "It's fine," he shrugged and placed a kiss to her cheek. "We only have one more anyway."

"You better hope this one is a good one," Arizona scolded as someone knocked on the door, "or else you'll be back at square one."

"Be nice," Callie instructed, her gaze lingering on Izzie, before she opened the door. "O-oh!" she exclaimed, seeing a twenty-something young woman with brown hair standing in front of her. "Jo Wilson?" she asked and glanced back to her legal pad.

"You were expecting a guy, right?" Jo smirked, stepping inside. "I get that a lot."

Callie gave her an apologetic smile and motioned to Alex. "That's Alex Karev, the man you'll be living with. I'm Callie Torres, and that's Arizona Robins. We're just helping Alex with the interview process."

"Making sure he doesn't hire some unqualified bimbo, huh?" Jo grinned and scanned the living room. "Nice place."

Alex frowned. Another one thinking they were going to boost off his home? He didn't think so. "Yeah, well, there's an actual baby here that takes top priority."

Izzie smiled to herself as Alex blasted the young woman. She stroked his arm encouragingly as her eyes settled on the woman; she didn't like her. This Jo Wilson was entirely too attractive.

Jo's head snapped in Alex's direction and her gaze narrowed. "I'm aware of that," she snarked. "I was actually wondering why there aren't any pictures of your baby on the wall. What, did you kidnap it?"

Callie and Arizona choked back giggles.

"No," Alex snapped back. He took a breath to calm the annoyance stirring in his core. "Have you ever been a nanny before?"

"No," Jo replied as she wandered over to the playpen. "I spent my teenage years babysitting though, so I figure it's the same thing." She made wide eyes at the baby. "May I?"

"Yeah, go ahead," Alex motioned, his eyes instinctively wandering Jo's long legs as she bent into the playpen and retrieved his niece. Jo seemed to be a natural with the baby, despite her rough edges. "She likes you," he observed as Sarah smiled up at Jo.

"Why wouldn't she?" Jo smirked.

"Ugh, she's the female version of you," Arizona rolled her eyes.

"I don't like her," Izzie whispered in Alex's ear.

"Give her a chance," Alex whispered back. "She's the last one for today, and I don't want to go through any more of these interviews tomorrow." He rolled his eyes when Izzie made a noise of disgust in the back of her throat.

Jo sat in the dining room chair positioned in the middle of the seating area and began bouncing Sarah on her knee. "The pay sucks, you know," she stated matter of factly.

"It's a live-in position," Alex frowned.

"So," Jo shrugged. "Even live-in, the pay sucks."

"What will you need money for anyway?" Izzie demanded. "It's not like you'll have rent or bills to pay."

Jo raised an eyebrow before an angelic smile crossed her lips. "I'm actually saving up for a boob job. Which surgeon did you go to?"

"Okay," Arizona spoke up loudly before Izzie had a chance to retaliate. "Do you have a resume or anything?" she changed subjects.

Jo held Sarah on her hip and stood, pulling a folded sheet of paper from her back pocket. "Yeah, here you go."

"How trashy," Izzie muttered, frowning when Alex squeezed her knee to quiet her.

"Hey, Miranda is on here!" Callie exclaimed and thrust the paper into Alex's face. "You took care of Miranda Bailey's son Tuck?"

"During her divorce, yes," Jo nodded and turned Sarah to face her. "Once she moved past all of that, she put him in the daycare at the hospital." Jo hesitated. "She actually called me before I got here..."

"Alex, you need to jump on her," Arizona advised. "She's got great references, experience, and Sarah adores her."

"She does seem good," Alex agreed, studying Jo intently. "She's a bit sarcastic though."

"_You're_ sarcastic!" Callie exclaimed. "You two will be perfect together!"

Izzie frowned, not liking that idea in the least. She didn't want her boyfriend living with the perfect female companion. "Alex, hun, you never know who could come in for the position tomorrow though."

"I doubt anyone will connect with Sarah like that," Arizona said and motioned to the child who was happily cooing at Jo.

"Is everything okay?" Jo asked with raised eyebrows as she noticed four pairs of eyes staring at her.

"It's great," Callie smiled. "We're just talking about how much Sarah likes you."

Jo smiled and placed a kiss to the infant's cheeks. "I was the oldest in my foster homes, so I usually helped take care of the babies."

"Foster homes?!" Izzie hissed. "You can't have a foster kid living with you, Alex! She'll steal from you! Or kill you!"

Alex scowled deeply as he looked to his girlfriend in disbelief. How could she possibly judge Jo based on the fact that she grew up in foster homes? _Alex_ had spent a great part of his youth in foster homes! Would Izzie judge him as harshly as well?! Alex had never shared that part of his life with Izzie, and now...now he was thankful that he hadn't.

Alex shifted positions quickly, causing Izzie to leap from his lap. "Jo, the job is yours, if you want it," he spoke plainly. "Sarah adores you, and I think you'll take good care of her." He felt a spike in his pulse as Jo's eyes met his.

Jo smiled softly and cradled the child against her as she walked over to Alex and extended her hand. "Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Karev. I won't let you down."

Alex wrapped his hand around hers and smiled. "Call me Alex." He hesitated for a moment before leaning into her. "I grew up in foster homes too," he confessed.

Jo visibly relaxed, feeling more at ease. "Thank you for telling me," she whispered, holding his gaze. "Uh oh," she jarred as Sarah squawked in her arms. "I think someone needs a diaper change," she said as an odor filled her nostrils. "Where is her room?"

"Right this way," Alex replied and lead her down the hall.

Callie and Arizona exchanged a look before errupting into giggles. "She's awesome!" Arizona exclaimed.

"Do you see the attraction between them?!" Callie squealed. "They're perfect for each other!"

A fuming Izzie sank into the background as the married couple began planning Alex and Jo's wedding. She wasn't happy with Jo Wilson at all.


	3. Chapter 3 - A New Beginning

**A/N - Thank you again for all of the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Since this is an AU (alternate universe), some characters will not be exactly how they are in the show. That's the purpose of an AU-to stretch a character to fit another role. In other words, Izzie will be bitchier in this story, and it's done intentionally :)**

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Chapter 3 - A New Beginning

Saturday morning Jo bit her lip as she pulled her beat up 2002 grand prix towards Alex Karev's fancy townhouse. Should she park outside of the garage? Park on the street near the mailbox? Should she just pull the car around the back of the house since she _was_ the hired help, after all?

A small part of Jo felt degraded by her current circumstances. How lousy was it that she couldn't even support herself? She didn't even have a place to live! She had to take on a job as a nanny just to have a roof over her head! Honestly, Jo hadn't really thought that much of the hand she'd been dealt until the day before when she was being interviewed by the room full of doctors.

Jo usually didn't have a problem with her station in life; things could always be worse. She was a fighter and didn't let anything stop her. She had been deserted at a fire station when she was an infant, spent her childhood growing up in foster homes, and had been working minimum wage jobs since she was fifteen just to make ends meet; despite all of that, Jo graduated at the top of her high school class. She'd worked, saved, and lived out of her car so that she could take classes to begin a career in medicine. Jo's first love was medicine.

Jo had felt proud of herself and what she'd managed to overcome in her life...until she sat across from Alex Karev and his beautiful girlfriend Izzie. Their life made her realize how much more she had yet to achieve. She was only enrolled in two online classes-pre-requisites in fact. They weren't even _real_ courses for her career. How was she ever going to become a doctor at this rate? What, maybe twenty years down the road she could finally take her boards? Alex and Izzie were only a few years older than her, but they were already both established in their careers. Established! Not taking a few courses to prepare for med school-they'd been through the pre-requisites, med school, _and_ an internship! They had it all and didn't even know it!

Jo shook the depressing thoughts from her mind as she pulled into the driveway and put her car into park. This was it; a new chapter in her life.

After getting past the things that bummed her out, Jo realized that taking the position of a nanny wasn't the worst thing in the world. She liked kids, loved them in fact. Especially babies. Jo didn't really see herself getting married or having a family of her own, so being able to take care of children filled that maternal need buried deep, deep inside of her. Not to mention that having a roof over her head was a plus. Jo was growing tired of living in her car.

"Hey," Alex greeted after stepping outside with Sarah held securely against his side.

"Hey," Jo replied after climbing from the car and throwing open the back door, reaching inside and tugging on a suitcase.

"Let me help with that," Alex said, his brows knitting together.

"I've got it," Jo huffed, hauling the suitcase from the car.

"Seriously, let me help," Alex frowned, watching the young woman drag a large suitcase that probably weighed more than she did.

"I've got it," Jo blew him off with a shake of her head. "I'm not some spoiled princess like your girlfriend. I can do things myself."

"Izzie can do things," Alex defended as Jo squeezed by him.

Jo smiled sweetly. "I know that. She's already proven that she can be a bitch."

Alex rolled his eyes and entered his home behind Jo, pushing the door closed and depositing Sarah into the playpen. "You need to let people help you," he stated and easily snatched the suitcase from Jo's grasp.

"Hey!" Jo frowned, blowing her hair off her face. "I had it!"

"Sure you did," Alex snipped. "Your room is down here." Honestly, Alex didn't like watching Jo struggle with the suitcase; it was clear that she never had anyone in her life to help her. He could definitely relate to that feeling.

Jo lingered in the doorway, her eyes scanning the room. A full-sized bed, dresser, closet, and a bookshelf. Nothing too fancy, but it was nicer than anything she'd had in a long time. "Where is Sarah's room?" she asked.

"Next door," Alex answered as he plopped the suitcase onto the bed. "I thought you'd want to be close to her."

"I do," Jo nodded and stuffed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "And your room is..." she asked, glancing into the hall.

Alex smirked. "Down the hall," he assured her. "I come home late sometimes and get called out early in the morning...I didn't want to disturb you." He shrugged casually.

Jo bit back a soft smile; she wasn't used to someone thinking of her. "Down the hall...good. I really don't want to hear you and your girlfriend getting it on."

Alex grunted as the nanny sassed from the bedroom. How had she been here such a small amount of time, but yet she was able to drive him insane?! "The bathroom is down here, near my room," he informed her.

Jo followed behind Alex and glanced into the bathroom. It was nice and spacious with a clawfoot tub, a pedestal sink, and a glassed in shower. A small door was beside the sink, and Jo assumed that was where the toilet was hidden. She'd noticed that rich people liked to hide their toilet. "Wait a second," she said, glancing up and down the hall. "One bathroom?"

"Yeah?" Alex asked with raised eyebrows.

"You don't have your own bathroom in the master bedroom?" Jo clarified.

"What's your problem?" Alex frowned.

Jo's hands went to her hips. "There's only one bathroom? How convenient!" She thrust her finger into his chest. "You better not walk in on me while I'm showering!"

Alex made a face then grasped her wrist. "Hey, I have something to show you," he said, lowering his voice and dragging her into the bathroom as if they were on some top secret mission or something. "Check it out..." He looked over each shoulder, then pushed the door closed. "This door...it comes with this amazing thing called a lock!"

Jo narrowed her eyes, then punched him on the shoulder when he began to chuckle. "Jerk," she hissed and marched from the bathroom.

Alex laughed and followed her out of the bathroom. She really thought he was such a creep that he'd walk in on her while she was showering? That was a frat boy move, and Alex was above that. Besides, he had a girlfriend...a girlfriend that wasn't very happy with him right now. Izzie didn't come out and say it, but it was clear that she was insanely jealous of Jo. Alex had tried to call her three times that morning, but he got her voicemail each time. Izzie always ignored his calls when she was upset with him.

Alex didn't really get Izzie sometimes. She knew that he had to get a nanny. Alex wasn't doing this for the hell of it. He legitimately needed someone to watch Sarah. There was no way in hell that he could work and watch a baby. He had to have help, and Jo was the most qualified. It wasn't Alex's fault that Jo was nice to look at. He shook the thought from his head-where had that come from? "Hey, is that all you've got?" he asked as Jo checked in on Sarah.

"For now," Jo shrugged casually. "I figured I'd give this a trial run before I move all of my stuff into your house."

Alex frowned. "Jo, I need you. I didn't hire you for a trial run. I want you here with Sarah."

Jo smiled shyly. "Thanks..." She gazed at Alex for a second before spinning and looking over the pictures on the wall again. "Why don't you have any pictures of Sarah?"

Alex dropped onto the couch and sighed heavily. "She's not my baby."

Jo turned wide eyes to him. "She's not your baby? Did you seriously kidnap her? Oh my God, is this one of those black market babies?!"

"Seriously?" Alex frowned. "The black market?"

"People buy babies all the time."

"Yeah, in Lifetime movies," Alex rolled his eyes. "Sarah is my niece."

Jo checked in on Sarah again and pulled a blanket over the baby as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. "So...where's her mom?"

"Hell if I know," Alex shrugged and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose. He'd made several calls that morning and still wasn't any closer to finding Amber than he had been the night she dropped Sarah in his lap and hauled ass.

Jo chewed her lip and sat in the recliner. She watched for a moment while Alex pecked away on his smart phone. It was clear that he didn't want to talk about the subject of Sarah. "Hey, how are we going to do this on the weekends?"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, barely glancing up from his phone.

"Well, do you work on the weekends?" Jo asked. After all, it was Saturday, and Alex wasn't dressed in scrubs or anything.

"I'm head of a children's clinic, and we tend to get weekends off."

"Oh," Jo nodded slowly and bit her lip. "Do you want me to...go somewhere or something on the weekends? Since you'll be home?"

"No," Alex made a face. "It's live in. This is your home now."

"Okay, cool," Jo sighed and glanced over to Sarah, seeing the infant sleeping now. "Hey, I'm going to unpack while she naps..."

"Yeah, fine," Alex shrugged, glancing to his phone. "Wait." He grasped Jo's wrist as she passed by the couch. "You don't have to check in with me or anything. I'm not your boss."

"You kinda are though," Jo scrunched her nose.

"Nah," Alex shrugged, releasing his hold on her. "We're roommates...just don't kill my niece."

"I'll try," Jo stuck her tongue out before going to her bedroom.

Alex chuckled and tried to call Izzie again with no luck.

Jo entered her new room and looked around; it had great potential. She could move her few belongings out of storage, and this place would feel like home in no time. She threw open her suitcase and unpacked her clothes, tucking them away in the dresser. She fit her textbooks into the bookshelf and moved her hygiene items into the bathroom. Jo bit her lip as she set her toothbrush onto the sink beside Alex's.

It was in that moment that she realized how...intimate this entire situation was. She'd never had a roommate before, let alone a hot, doctor roommate. Would she brush her teeth beside Alex? Would they have coffee together before he went to work? Would he leave the bathroom in only a towel after showering?

Jo shook the thoughts from her head as she bolted from the bathroom. No! This wasn't that type of situation! Besides, Alex had a girlfriend; a beautiful girlfriend at that. Izzie was perfect-blonde hair, perfect body, rich, and successful. There was no way Jo could ever compete with someone like Izzie. Not that it mattered, because Jo wasn't into Alex. "Hey, can I grab something to drink?" she asked as she returned to the living room.

"Your house, Jo," Alex reminded her without looking up from his phone. "Get whatever you want."

Jo rolled her eyes and moved towards the kitchen, scanning over the appliances. It appeared that Alex had hardly touched the kitchen! After opening the refrigerator, Jo could see why the kitchen was so pristine. "Oh my God!"

"What?" Alex asked, moving to his feet and hurrying into the kitchen.

Jo made a face and motioned to the refrigerator. "What _is_ this?!" she asked, clearly horrified. The refrigerator was crammed with take-out containers, cheap microwavable food, and dozens of jars of dips. "You're killing yourself with this processed garbage!" she exclaimed, opening a jar and making a face. "This looks like plastic!"

"But it tastes good on tortilla chips," Alex smirked as Jo shivered.

"Someone has to organize this mess," Jo tisked and retrieved the garbage can. "Don't you cook?"

Alex shrugged. "It's easier to grab take-out on the way home."

"Yeah, well, you're slowly killing yourself," Jo replied. "You need fruits and vegetables!" She glanced into a take out container before dropping it into the garbage can.

"Hey!" Alex exclaimed. "Don't throw my food away!"

Jo gave him a look before snatching the container from the garbage can and flipping it open. "There's _mold_ growing on it!" she exclaimed, thrusting the container in his face.

"Okay, fine," Alex relented. He watched as Jo began to pull more things from his refrigerator and toss it into the garbage can. "Don't touch my beer!"

"Yeah, yeah," Jo rolled her eyes, glancing to Alex as he left the kitchen mumbling something about not being able to watch this. Half an hour later Jo stepped away from the refrigerator satisfied. She had managed to throw out the expired products while clearly establishing one shelf for herself. "Hey, I'm going to get some groceries," she informed him as she returned to the living room. "Hey, pretty girl," she cooed as Sarah was now awake and kicking her feet. "I'll take Sarah with me."

Alex felt a wave of panic move through him as Jo retrieved Sarah and checked her diaper. "You're going to take her with you?" he clarified.

"Yeah, why not," Jo shrugged as she moved to Sarah's room and packed a diaper bag. "We'll give you a little break. Some time to yourself, you know?"

Alex stood stunned as Jo moved around him. Sarah hadn't been out of his sight since Amber dropped her off. "You can leave her here with me, I don't mind."

"Don't be silly," Jo shrugged. "The fresh air will be good for her. Where's her carseat?"

"In my car."

"Great, will you move it to my car while I make her a bottle?"

Alex did as Jo asked, but he didn't like the thought of Sarah leaving his home. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jo, it was just...how could he protect Sarah if she wasn't with him? Alex forced himself to push the thoughts from his mind-he wasn't that person anymore, and Sarah wasn't one of his siblings. Alex no longer had to protect everyone from an abusive father or a psychotic mother. That part of his life was behind him. "You girls have fun," he forced out as Jo secured Sarah into the carseat.

"Later," Jo called and waved before pulling out of his driveway. Seconds later she was gone.

Alex forced himself to take a breath before going back inside. He sat onto the couch and flipped on the television. He hadn't been able to watch tv in a week. He pulled up a program from his DVR box and settled back onto the couch comfortably.

What if they had a wreck?

What if Sarah got sick? Was Jo ready for that?

What if someone tried to kidnap Sarah when Jo wasn't looking?!

Alex turned off the television and began pacing the floor. The minutes dragged by as he came up with one absurd thought after another. "What took you so long?!" he barked half an hour later when Jo returned.

Jo gave him a strange look. "We were only gone for, like twenty minutes."

"It was thirty three," Alex snapped after glancing to his watch.

"What the heck is your problem?" Jo asked as she carried Sarah and two bags of groceries into the kitchen.

"Why didn't you call me?!" Alex followed behind her. "I thought something happened to you."

"You didn't give me your number," Jo snapped and glared at him.

"Yes I did."

"No, you didn't," she said, clearly confused by his behavior.

"I know I did."

Jo worked her cell from her pocket and tossed it to Alex. "Pull up your number then, asshat."

"What is this, two thousand and two?" Alex quipped as he caught the flip phone.

"Not everyone can afford a smart phone, your highness," Jo snarked and pulled a couple of bags of salad from the plastic grocery sack.

Alex made a face and looked through her phone. "Well crap," he muttered when he saw that his number was not in her phone.

After putting the salad mix on her designated shelf, Jo turned to Alex, watching as he programmed his number into her phone. She adjusted Sarah on her hip and walked over to him, forcing herself to bite back the snarky comment that wanted to flee her lips. "Alex, you've got to calm down. I've got this." Jo was forcing herself to be as patient with Alex as possible. His shallow, bachelor world had been turned upside down by one three month old little girl.

"I'm trying," Alex said through gritted teeth.

Jo nodded. "I get that. You've got to know that I'm here to help, okay? I can't help you if you won't let me though, so back off!"

"Fine," Alex grumbled and passed her back her cellphone. "I'm going to pick up a pizza. Do you want anything?"

Jo raised an eyebrow and motioned to the groceries on the counter. "I'm good, thanks. Hey," she called as Alex neared the front door. "You could save yourself the trip and have a salad with me."

"I don't do salads," Alex smirked before leaving.

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Jo rolled her eyes and shook her head.

* * *

Monday morning around six am, Alex yawned as he peeked his head into Jo's room. Arizona had paged him to the ER due to a bus wreck; lots of injured kids were in the ER before the school day even began. Alex was thankful that Sarah wasn't old enough to attend school.

The day before, Jo had talked Alex into moving Sarah's crib into her bedroom. Jo reasoned that Sarah was confused and upset about everything that had happened lately, and being in the room with someone would provide her comfort. Plus Jo said it would allow them to bond easier and Sarah would begin to recognize Jo as her caregiver. It all seemed logical to Alex, so he gave Jo the go-ahead.

Alex quietly eased into the room and over to the crib, glancing down to his niece. Sarah was sleeping soundly on her back with her hands curved at her cheeks. She was precious. Alex tucked the blanket around Sarah and leaned down, placing a gentle kiss to her soft cheek. Turning away from the crib, Alex stopped in his tracks as Jo caught his eye.

Jo was asleep on her back as well, but she had tossed off her comforter and sheets. A slow smile curved Alex's lips as his eyes roamed Jo's pajamas.

The badass was wearing Tweety Bird pajamas.

Alex made a mental note to tease her later about them as he quietly slipped from the room. Alex stopped in the living room, writing Jo a note to let her know that he'd been called in earlier, not that he owed her the explanation or anything, but Alex wanted to do everything he could to keep Jo in his home. Jo had literally saved Alex's life. He just didn't know exactly how much yet.


	4. Chapter 4 - Searching for Amber

**A/N - You Jolex fans are freaking awesome! I'm loving this story and this pairing because of YOUR encouraging reviews! Thank you!**

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Chapter 4 - Searching for Amber

One week later Alex sat outside at a quaint cafe five miles from Grey-Sloan Memorial. He was supposed to meet Izzie for lunch, but she was late, at usual. Alex was taking the time to look for Amber, but he was coming up with no leads.

Amber never turned up in Iowa. In fact, his sister never even spoke with Aunt Charlotte. Never even talked to the woman. Alex had spent all week calling every single Karev relative, even the ones who had divorced out of the family, but no one, _no one_ had spoken to Amber in at least six months. Whatever Amber was up to, whatever game she was playing, she hadn't involved any of their family members. Who knows where she could have ended up!

After realizing that the family tree was a dead end, Alex logged on to his hardly-used social networking account and searched for Amber online. Amber had even gone as far as to delete her Facebook page. Alex searched her friends and sent them messages, but no one responded. In fact, most of them blocked him in return. Alex wasn't sure if that meant that they knew something but wouldn't tell him, or if they thought he was a creepy stalker.

"You don't look sexy when you scowl, honey," Izzie reminded him as she sat across from him at the small table.

"Sorry," Alex mumbled and stuffed his phone into his lab coat pocket, leaning over and planting a dutiful kiss on her cheek. "I ordered the usual, I hope that's okay."

"Perfect," Izzie sighed, taking his hand in hers. "What has you so upset already? It's barely noon."

"Amber," Alex sighed his sister's name. "I've called everyone I know to call, and no one has talked to her. She didn't even talk to Aunt Charlotte, so that was a lie. Never turned up in Iowa either. Her phone is disconnected, her Facebook page is deactivated...I don't even know how to get in contact with her."

Izzie gave him a sympathetic look. "It sounds like she's been planning this for a while."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, his brows knitting together.

"She's covered all of her bases," Izzie shrugged casually and crossed her legs. "She gave you a story to make you think she was getting her life back on track, she's cut off all forms of communication, and she hasn't spoken to anyone in your family...whatever she's doing, she's making sure that you never find out about it."

Alex sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just hope she's not in any kind of trouble."

"Who knows," Izzie shrugged. "Hey, did you try her email?"

"She shut that down too."

"Oh yeah, she definitely set you up," Izzie stated.

Alex thanked the waitress as she brought their plates. "How is your day going?" he changed subjects. He really hoped Izzie would let the Amber thing go; he didn't want to talk about her anymore because he only felt himself getting more and more angry.

"It's fine, I guess," Izzie shrugged as she drizzled her salad with dressing. "I had this teenager come in this morning. She's like, seventeen, and it's clear that she's been cooking herself in a tanning bed for a few years. Anyway, she had this mole on her stomach, and it looked terrible, Alex. I swear, she's probably got stage three, if not stage four, skin cancer."

Alex cringed. "That's not good."

"Tell me about it," Izzie frowned. "Then her mother wants to get mad at me when I tell her that it's probably malignant. She basically called me a liar!"

"Nobody likes hearing bad news," Alex reminded her before taking a bite of his club sandwich.

Izzie pushed the lettuce around in her bowl before glancing to her boyfriend. "So...how's the nanny thing going?"

"Jo is a life saver," Alex sighed. "I swear, I don't know what I'd do without her."

Izzie frowned. "You could have put the baby in daycare!"

Alex made a face. "You know I wasn't comfortable putting my niece in daycare. Besides, every daycare was full."

"How convenient."

Alex gaped at her. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Izzie set down her fork and threw her hands up. "I'm just saying that it's mighty convenient that you won't move in with me, but yet you've got some other woman living with you!"

"Izzie," Alex spoke her name patiently, "we've been through this. We're not living together because I don't want you to get the wrong idea about us. I'm not ready to get married."

"Living together isn't being married!"

"I know that," Alex replied, "but if we live together, it will only be a matter of time before you push for marriage again because 'we're practically married already.'" He hesitated. "You know I'm right."

Izzie crossed her arms stubbornly and fumed for a moment. "I think you just wanted some hot chick on the side!"

"Knock it off!" Alex exclaimed, lowering his voice after the other patrons looked over to them. "That's not even it. Jo is good with Sarah. My niece's happiness is the most important thing to me!"

Izzie narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I didn't see you check her out?"

Alex glanced away, guilt washing over him. "That was an accident."

"An accident?!" Izzie laughed. "Seriously?"

"It was like a reflex," Alex shrugged. "You do it all the time."

"You know that you can trust me though," Izzie snapped.

"Oh?" Alex asked, his eyebrows raising. "Are you saying that you don't trust me now?"

Izzie continued to fume for another second. "Tell me you're not interested in her."

"I'm not interested in Jo," Alex stated.

Izzie studied him for a second. "I don't believe you."

"Izz!" Alex exclaimed and jumped to his feet as Izzie stood up, retrieved her purse, and stomped away from the table. He threw his hands up in exasperation. Tired of her theatrics, Alex dropped back into his chair and took another bite of his club.

Yep, he was not going to chase her.

When Izzie didn't get her way, she usually made a scene that caused Alex to chase after her. Izzie always thought that if a man chased her, then she was in control. Call it immature, but Alex refused to hand over control to Izzie today. He had real shit to deal with while she was making absurd accusations.

Yes, Jo was hot. That was perfectly clear. Yes, Alex had checked her out; that was obviously clear too. Admitting that someone was attractive didn't mean he wanted to bang her or anything. Besides, he and Jo had a working relationship. No, Alex wasn't her boss, but both of them were working together to give Sarah as nice of a life as possible. That was a partnership, at the most a friendship, but it certainly wasn't a romance. Maybe Izzie would realize that after more time passed and he didn't jump Jo's bones.

Alex finished off his club before digging his cell from his lab coat pocket and dialing the oh-so-familiar number to the florist. "Hey, Olivia," Alex greeted as the owner picked up.

"Alex Karev?" Olivia asked. "Lord, what did you do this time?"

"Hell if I know," Alex chuckled. "Send her the usual, please."

"Same address?" Olivia asked as she pulled up Alex's file on the computer.

"Yes."

"Two dozen pink roses in a crystal vase?" Olivia questioned.

"Charge my card," Alex sighed and ended the call. That was all the attention he could give Izzie right now. He loved Izzie, but he didn't have time for the drama. After he located Amber, everything would be right in the world, and he could lavish Izzie with every ounce of attention she craved.

After finishing his lunch and paying the tab, Alex returned to the clinic. "Great," he muttered after entering the clinic and spotting three interns lingering near the supplies. "Bailey is rotating them to the clinic again?" he grumbled as he joined George O'Malley at the nurse's station.

"You know Dr. Bailey encourages them to consider the clinic," George replied as he glanced up from a chart.

"I hate the interns being here," Alex complained. "They don't like it, and they make it clear to everyone."

"We didn't like the Denny Duquette clinic," George reminded him.

"The clinic was pointless," Alex snapped. "Rather than dish out the money to the IRS, the hospital chose to sink it into a free clinic. That clinic was practically a tax shelter."

"Yeah, I'm so glad the hospital is spending its money more wisely now," George smirked.

Alex rolled his eyes. It was pointless to argue with O'Malley about kids; George was only working in the clinic because of the Monday through Friday, nine to five hours. George couldn't care less about kids. Alex couldn't really blame him though-that had been him just five years ago. Addison Montgomery and Arizona Robbins had completely changed his views on children. "Hey, man, can you take over for the rest of the afternoon?"

George looked over to Alex with a raised eyebrow. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm just not in the mood for interns today," Alex replied. "I've got a lot of crap going on at home."

"You mean you've got a hot nanny to get home to."

"How do you even know about her?" Alex snapped.

George slapped the chart closed and gave him a look. "Izzie talks, dude."

Alex resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Do you want to hear the real story about that?"

"Nah," George grinned. "I like her distorted version."

"Asshole," Alex chuckled and pulled off his lab coat. "See you tomorrow. Page me if an emergency comes up."

Alex left the clinic behind and climbed into his charger, speeding towards his town house. As he drove along the crowded streets, his mind wandered to Amber. Where was she? What was she doing? Was she shacked up with another knight in shining armor like that Billy creep? Was she on the streets somewhere? Had she left the country? Was she even _alive_?! How could she _do_ this?! How could she drop her baby off and take off like that? Did Amber not realize how beautiful that little girl was?! Was Amber not grateful to be able to wake up to that precious girl each and every day? Did she not realize how lucky she was?!

By the time Alex reached his town house, he had worked himself up into another rage. He was right back to wanting to murder his sister with his bare hands.

"Whoah!" Jo exclaimed, jumping from the couch and wrapping her hand around her weapon of choice as the door banged open. "It's just you," she sighed, catching her breath, as Alex entered.

"A potato masher?" Alex questioned, his eye on her hand. "Seriously?"

"I can do some serious damage with this thing," Jo quipped as she followed Alex into the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

"In case you forgot, I live here," Alex snapped as he threw open the refrigerator door and grabbed a bottle of beer. "Where did you even get that thing?"

"I bought it yesterday so that I could have potatoes for lunch," Jo replied as she eyed him. "Aren't these working hours? Why are you drinking?"

"What are you, my mother?" Alex frowned and moved to the living room.

Jo made a face and returned the potato masher to the drawer. "Bad day or something?" she asked, shrugging as if she didn't care whether Alex had a bad day or not.

"Something like that," Alex sighed and dropped onto the couch. "Where's Sarah?"

"She's taking a nap in her crib," Jo answered and sat at the opposite end of the couch. "You better be glad you didn't wake her up."

"Yeah, yeah," Alex snarked and took a long drink of his beer.

"So what's got you so pissy?"

"I didn't answer you before, so I obviously don't want to talk about it," Alex snapped.

"You're going to talk about it," Jo countered. "I'm not putting up with this little mood of yours for the rest of the day. I will be _so_ out of here."

Alex glanced over at her and kept quiet. "Okay, fine," he conceded when Jo made a neck motion and stood up. "Sit down." He pulled her back onto the couch and took another drink from the beer bottle. "I spent most of my lunch break looking for Amber."

"Oh, any luck?" Jo asked, then scrunched her face. "Sorry," she cringed. If Alex had had any luck, he wouldn't have come home so pissy. "Did you call her friends and stuff?"

"I called everybody," Alex sighed. "I called all our relatives. She hasn't talked to anyone in like six months. I even got on the internet and contacted some of her friends; no one answered me. I've tried her cell, her email...everything is shut down." He took another drink of his beer. "She completely set me up! She's never coming back!" He finished the beer and plunked the empty bottle onto the end table.

Jo bit her lip before speaking. "You don't know that," she offered softly.

"Oh, come on!" Alex spat, glaring over to her. "Don't be that naive!"

"I'm not naive!" Jo exclaimed. "It's just...look, it had to be tough for her. A single woman, raising a baby... She probably just needed a little help..." Jo bit her lip. "You're a scary guy, Alex. I don't see how you work with kids."

Alex looked over to her and frowned. "I'm not scary."

"Really?" Jo asked with raised eyebrows. "You just blew in her like the big bad wolf! No wonder your sister was afraid to tell you she had a baby! I wouldn't have told you."

Alex pursed his lips. "She should have talked to me though. I'd have helped her if she hadn't run away..."

"That's easy to say now," Jo pointed out gently.

Alex sighed again and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Jo smoothed her fingers along the hem of her shirt. "Maybe you could contact your family members again...let them know that you're not angry with Amber. You're worried about her. She might come around if she knows that you're not mad at her."

"I am worried about her," Alex admitted after a few moments of silence settled in. "I just wish she'd call me and let me know that she's okay."

Jo patted his shoulder. "_That's_ the message you need to get out there. That's a lot less scary."

"Ha ha," Alex replied dryly and looked over to her. "Thanks for talking me down, Jo."

"No problem," she smiled softly as their gaze lingered on one another.

"Are we getting along?" Alex joked to break the tension.

"It's only temporary," Jo smirked. "I'm sure you'll go back to being an asshat any second now."

Alex laughed. "Amber calls me that all the time."

Jo's gaze settled on Alex. He seemed genuinely upset that his sister had pulled a disappearing routine. Jo could almost begin to feel a little bit of sympathy for Alex. He wasn't that bad of a guy when he wasn't being a jerk... "Duty calls," she jumped from the couch as Sarah's cries fluttered through the baby monitor.

Alex looked to the monitor, listening as Jo cooed and baby talked with Sarah as she changed her diaper. "You're so good with her," he observed as Jo returned to the living room with Sarah cradled in her arms.

"Nah, she's just an awesome baby," Jo smiled as she sat closer to Alex, sitting Sarah up between them. Sarah cooed and babbled as she looked up at Alex. Jo smiled when Alex leaned over and placed a kiss to Sarah's head. "You lived in foster homes too?" she asked quietly after a silence filled the living room. Jo couldn't explain it, but it was almost unsettling to sit there with Alex without talking. Something was in the air, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Yeah, I did," Alex nodded, glancing over to her.

Jo nodded, looking down to her hands as she picked the chipped nail polish off her nails. "Thank you for telling me...I heard what your girlfriend said."

Alex groaned inwardly. "Izzie didn't mean it," he sighed heavily. "She just didn't want me to hire you. It wasn't personal."

"It sounded kind of personal," Jo replied quietly.

"She's just threatened by you," Alex said and tickled Sarah's feet.

"She has no reason to be threatened by me," Jo scoffed. "I can't hold a candle to her. She's perfect, and I've...well, I was in and out of twelve foster homes until I struck out on my own at sixteen."

Alex looked over to her as she spoke. "Seventeen."

Jo's eyes widened. "Seventeen foster homes?!"

"They separated me from my siblings," Alex explained. "I just wanted to make sure they were okay."

Jo bit her lip, realizing the seriousness of what Alex was sharing with her. "Couldn't stand not being able to boss them around, huh?" she tried to lighten the mood.

Alex looked to her, a slow smirk curving his lips. "Something like that." He cleared his throat and looked back to Sarah, holding his finger out so that she could grasp it. "What about you? What kept you bouncing in and out of foster homes?"

"I'm a complete badass," Jo scoffed, pulling her legs up and tucking them underneath her. "My own mother couldn't handle me...she abandoned me when I was a couple of weeks old."

Alex glanced at Jo, seeing the brief glimpse of pain pass through her eyes. "Sometimes it's better that way," he said quietly, avoiding her gaze. "You're less damaged when you're abandoned."

"I needed a mother," Jo frowned.

"Mothers aren't all they're cracked up to be," Alex replied, keeping his gaze fixed on Sarah. "Mine was schizophrenic. She went after my brother with a steak knife when he was six."

Jo cringed as Alex's voice fell. It was clear that it was hard for him to share the details of his life with her. "I won't have to sleep with one eye open, will I?" she teased and pushed his shoulder.

"You might want to, just in case," Alex smirked. Jo was perfect; any other woman would have broken down in tears at his pitiful life story, but not Jo. Jo had been through just as much shit as he had, so she understood that life sucked. What mattered most was how you handled the hand you were dealt. You could pull the woe-is-me card, or you could better yourself. They had both managed to better themselves.

"I'll get you with my potato masher," Jo smirked.

Alex crinkled his nose. "Who even mashes potatoes anymore?" he asked. "You know, they make instant potatoes that taste just like the real thing."

"Ewwww!" Jo exclaimed. "Instant potatoes suck! You wouldn't know real food if it hit you in the head!"

"Why waste all that time when you can just add water and go?" Alex reasoned.

"You're hopeless!" Jo shook her head. "Do you hear that, Sarah? Uncle Alex is hopeless! Yes he is, he's hopeless!" She reached out and tickled Sarah's stomach, causing her to smile and laugh.

Alex shook his head and smiled as he watched Jo lift Sarah and raise her over her head, lowering her to kiss her cheeks, then lifting her into the air air again. He might be hopeless, but Jo certainly wasn't hopeless. She was amazing, and he was glad to have her in his life.


	5. Chapter 5 - Drawing Closer

**A/N - You Jolex fans ROCK! Thank you all for your support through the little outburst in the reviews. I assure you-I will NOT stop writing this story! Also, Alex won't cheat-promise!**

* * *

Chapter 5 - Drawing Closer

Saturday morning, Alex Karev's living room looked like a photo from a family album. Alex was settled on the couch with his legs extended as he pecked away on his laptop, researching a patient's illness. Jo had her legs draped over the arm of the leather recliner as she watched a cooking show intently, pen in hand to scribble down a recipe. Baby Sarah lay on her back in the playpen kicking her feet and swinging her arms. It was the perfect family Saturday morning.

The only thing ruining the scene was that this wasn't a family.

This was a typical morning for a doctor, his niece, and the nanny. Despite the intimate environment, that's all it was.

For now.

Alex sent a document to the printer in his office before logging into his email. He pecked in the addresses of his relatives before hesitating. "Hey, Jo, how do I start this email?"

"Ssshhhh!" Jo hissed, swatting her hand in his direction.

Alex frowned. "Did you seriously just shush me?"

"Shut up!" Jo snapped, leaning closer to the television.

Alex rolled his eyes and leaned over, snatching up the remote and pausing the television. "Can I have your attention now?"

Jo looked from the television to Alex and back to the television. "Oh, the fancy pants doctor has a DVR box?" she quipped with a raised eyebrow.

"Who doesn't?" Alex shrugged.

"You know, those things really are a waste of money," Jo informed him. "You can watch so many episodes online now, why would you even want to pay to record it on some box? You're just going to delete the things you record anyway. You could save that money each month."

"Yeah, well, my fancy box is saving your ass right now," Alex replied and set the remote on the couch beside him. "How should I start this email?"

"What email?" Jo asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"The one to my family," he sighed heavily. "You know, asking about Amber? The not scary email?"

"Oh yeah," Jo giggled. "Just tell them the truth. Tell them you've looked for Amber, you can't find her, you don't know how to contact her, and you're very worried about her. If they hear from her, please tell her you're worried. Easy," she shrugged. "Oh, and tell them Sarah is doing good."

"Why would they want to know about Sarah?"

"Amber might want to know how her baby is doing," Jo pointed out. "Start my program back."

"What are you watching anyway?" Alex asked, unpausing the television.

"Home cooked meals in under thirty minutes," Jo replied, focusing on the television again. "I need this recipe for chicken and rice."

Alex studied her, watching as Jo scribbled the recipe down that flashed on the screen. "Hey, Wilma."

Jo's eyes widened as she looked over to him. "Wilma?" she questioned. "Is that a _Flintstones_ reference?"

"Yeah, it is," Alex nodded. "This isn't the dark ages anymore. No one writes down recipes. Hey, we even have gas powered cars and everything."

"Don't mock me," Jo said with narrowed eyes and pointed at him. "How do you suggest I get the recipe then, Professor?"

"No one watches _Gilligan's Island _either," Alex smirked and glanced to the television. Seconds later he was on the website for the cooking show, and a few clicks later he had the recipe sent to the printer in his office. "Wait for it," he grinned as he put his lap top onto the couch and left the living room. Seconds later he held the paper in front of Jo's face. "You can thank me now."

"Hold your breath and see what happens," Jo quipped as she took the paper and scanned the recipe. "This is awesome, thanks Alex."

"I can even print them in card format," he bragged as he returned to his seat on the couch and pulled the computer onto his lap again.

"How am I going to do this though?" Jo asked. "I don't have a computer."

"You can use mine," Alex shrugged. "I don't care."

Jo looked away, hiding the wide grin that covered her lips. "Thanks, Alex, I appreciate that," she said as casually as possible. She hoped her voice didn't sound all giggly and ditzy.

"No problem," Alex shrugged and glanced back to the computer screen.

Jo watched him for a second before standing and moving over to the play pen. She retrieved the blanket that hung over the side and spread it out on the floor. "Come here, pretty girl," she cooed, leaning into the playpen and scooping Sarah up. The baby cooed and giggled. Jo scattered kisses on Sarah's cheeks before squatting to the blanket and laying Sarah on her stomach.

Sarah kicked her feet at first, then began to grunt and fuss.

Alex did a double take, watching as the baby was clearly voicing her dislike, and Jo wasn't doing _anything_! "What's your problem?!" he growled, glaring at Jo. "She doesn't like that, get her up!"

"Alex..."

"Now!"

Jo raised an eyebrow. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a dog, so I don't do well with orders."

Alex held her gaze before moving his computer to the cushion and standing. "She doesn't like that."

"Alex, stop it," Jo said, putting her hands to his chest and pushing him away. "I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, you're making her cry!" he exclaimed, motioning to Sarah.

"No, I'm not," Jo snapped. "This is called tummy time."

"You are _so_ making that up."

"I am not!" Jo exclaimed. "Google it; it's a real thing, I swear. The point is to develop her muscles. Aren't you a pediatrician? You should know things like this."

Alex gave her a skeptical look before returning to his computer and typing the phrase into the search engine. It had been several months and about a hundred patients since he dealt with a newborn. "Oh yeah," he mused after reading over the information.

"Told you!" Jo smacked him on the shoulder. "I noticed yesterday that she's not very advanced."

"Watch yourself," Alex warned.

"Don't take it personally," Jo rolled her eyes. "It's just obvious that Amber didn't do very much with Sarah."

Alex couldn't say that he wasn't surprised. "So I'm assuming you're going to change that?"

"That's why you hired me," Jo grinned, watching as Sarah lifted her head. "See, she's getting the hang of it already."

"Yeah, whatever," Alex mumbled.

Jo squatted down in front of Sarah, clapping her hands and giving the baby much encouragement. "You can do it, Sarah!" she exclaimed with a big smile on her face. Sarah continued to fuss and grunt, but pushed herself up none the less. Jo glanced up as Alex muttered something about not being able to watch this and left the room. "Look at you!" Jo exclaimed as Sarah propped herself on her hands for several seconds before lowering herself to the floor. "Great job, sweet girl!" Jo scooped Sarah up and planted a kiss to her cheek. Sarah tangled her hand in Jo's hair. "You already have Uncle Alex wrapped around your finger, yes you do, yes you do."

"I heard that!" Alex yelled from down the hall.

"If the shoe fits, wear it!" Jo laughed in return and tickled Sarah's stomach, causing the baby to giggle. She looked up as the doorbell dinged throughout the house. "Hey, Alex, you've got a visitor!"

"Can you get that?" came the reply. "I'm changing!"

"You've got a high-maintenance uncle," Jo remarked as she put Sarah to her hip and pulled open the door. "Oh, hey."

"Hey," Izzie replied, her eyes barely glancing over the nanny. "Is Alex home?"

"Yeah, he's changing," Jo responded and closed the door. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to break the ice between them. "I was headed to the kitchen to make Sarah a bottle. Would you like something to drink?"

Izzie blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Uh, yeah, that would, uh, be nice."

Jo smiled pleasantly. "I made a pitcher of green tea this morning..."

"I love green tea," Izzie admitted.

"Great, I'll be right back."

Izzie's gaze followed the young woman as she left the living room. Jo didn't seem that bad, to be honest. Maybe Izzie was just getting upset over nothing. In all reality, the nanny didn't even seem to _like_ her boyfriend, let alone try to hook up with him. And Alex, well, Alex always had a wandering eye; not that Izzie ever believed he would cheat on her, but she was always catching Alex breaking his neck if a woman's dress blew up. He practically drooled at the sight of cleavage; that was Alex. In fact, that was most men. Izzie knew that Alex was faithful to her. "Thank you," Izzie said politely as Jo returned with a glass of green tea. Her nose scrunched on reflex when she noted that the tea was in a glass, which meant that it was chilled.

"Give it a try," Jo encouraged. "It's very good. Alex, your girlfriend is here!" Jo looked back to Izzie. "I'll take Sarah into my room...give you two some alone time."

"Thanks," Izzie smiled and sat in the recliner, taking a timid sip of the green tea. It was actually very good. "Hey," she smiled when Alex entered the room. "I got the flowers. They were beautiful; thank you."

"You're welcome," Alex replied, shutting his computer down. He knew that he wouldn't get anymore research done today. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Izzie assured him and stood. "I have a meeting with a few investors in the clinic Monday. I was hoping you'd help me pick out a dress?"

Alex grinned wickedly. The last time Izzie had to buy a dress...well, they ended up doing x-rated things in the dressing room. "I'm completely down for that."

"I figured you would be," Izzie giggled before taking his hand and leading him towards her car.

* * *

Later that night, Alex tossed his jeans and button down shirt into the clothes hamper in the corner of his closet. He stood in his boxers as he snatched open the dresser drawer and yanked out a tshirt, tugging it on as his mind roamed. Izzie had been quite...pleasant that day. She didn't make a single comment about Jo or anything. A part of Alex wondered if Izzie was drunk.

Alex left his room, padding down the hall towards the bathroom, half-way through the door when he stopped and backed out slowly. Jo was standing in the bathroom brushing her teeth. Alex started back towards his room; he could wait a few minutes before brushing his teeth and going to bed.

No.

This was _his_ house. He was dressed, and Jo was wearing some capri pajamas this time. They were both fully clothed, plus they didn't even _like_ each other. They could brush their teeth at the same time.

Alex turned around and marched back towards the bathroom. "Hey," he greeted as he moved to the sink. Might as well get it out in the open.

"Hey," Jo replied casually, glancing to him as Alex as he put a blob of toothpaste on his toothbrush.

Alex and Jo stood in the bathroom, side by side, brushing their teeth. Each time Jo's eyes shifted over to Alex in the mirror, he was looking back at her. Jo leaned down, spitting into the sink before continuing to brush her teeth. Her eyes involuntarily wandered to Alex, and yet again he was looking at her. Jo flushed as she saw him actually _smirk_. The jerk was laughing at her! She rolled her eyes and reached for the faucet at the same time Alex leaned forward. "Sorry!" she squeaked when her hand brushed his.

Alex outright laughed when they both reached for a paper cup. He retrieved one and wordlessly passed it to Jo. He noticed the color creep up her cheeks as she snatched it away from him and hastily filled it with water, rinsing her mouth.

Jo tossed the cup into the garbage can and wiped her mouth with a towel before padding towards the door. A thought striking her, she turned to say something to Alex and bumped right into him. "Excuse me!" she exclaimed, clearly flustered. "What, are you stalking me?"

"You walked into me!" Alex frowned.

"Anyway," Jo mumbled, glancing to the floor and tucking her hair behind her ear. "Listen, I've been thinking about this for a while, and I know we've got this working relationship thing, but you really need to hear my side on this..."

"Out with it, Wilson," Alex snapped, becoming annoyed.

"I think you should take a few pictures of Sarah," Jo blurted out. "Hang them up on your wall, you know? She's part of your family now." She shrugged casually.

Alex gave her a look as he contemplated the idea. "What's up with you and pictures?" he asked.

"It's a bonding thing," Jo replied. "The last foster home I was in...they took pictures of me and put them on the walls. It made the place feel more like home."

"Sarah won't know if I have pictures of her up or not."

"It's not necessarily for her," Jo pointed out before turning and leaving the bathroom.

Alex pondered the thought for a moment. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to have a few pictures of Sarah sitting around, but deep down, he didn't want to get _too_ attached to his niece. Alex loved Amber and would do anything for her, but he also knew her. It was very possible that Amber would blow into his life again in three months and take Sarah back. "Hey," Alex called as he left the bathroom and started towards his bedroom.

"Yeah?" Jo asked, turning back and looking to him.

Alex's eyes wandered to the melon colored capri pajamas. "I like the Tweety Bird ones better."

"Tweety Bird?" Jo questioned, her brows knitting together in confusion. Alex simply chuckled and continued up the hall. "Tweety Bird," she mused, looking to her pajamas again. Her eyes widened as she finally caught on to what he meant. "Alex!" His laughter made her laugh as she entered her room and climbed into bed. Being a nanny wasn't as bad as it seemed after all.

The next morning Sarah woke Jo up bright and early. Luckily though, the infant seemed pacified to snuggle in bed with Jo until ten. Jo bathed Sarah and fed her a bottle, encouraging Sarah to begin wrapping her hands around the bottle rather than lying there doing nothing. Sarah liked holding the bottle much more than she liked tummy time. After burping and cuddling with Sarah some more, Jo put Sarah into her crib and gave her a rattle. Jo tied a baby mirror into the corner of the crib before moving to her closet and pulling out a box from storage.

Jo opened the card board box, pulling out some of her favorite plaques. Jo had always been a smart ass, and it was reflected in the things she had hanging in her foster rooms. She smiled as her eyes roamed over her most favorite plaque. _The secret of success is sincerity...once you can fake that, you've got it made_. She laughed to herself and position the plaque on the wall beside her closet. Perfect.

Jo turned on the baby monitor and moved into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of green tea and retrieving the hammer and nails from the toolbox under the sink. She couldn't understand why Alex stored a toolbox under the sink, but whatever. Jo made a silly face at Sarah as she returned to her room, smiling widely when the baby squealed and waved her hands in the air.

"Hey, Jo!" Alex called, moving down the hall.

"My room!" Jo yelled back as she positioned a nail against the wall.

"Hey," Alex poked his head in as Jo started banging away at a nail. "I'm meeting Izzie for Sunday brunch. Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"No, we're good," Jo replied, glancing over her shoulder to him. "Thanks anyway. OW!" she yelled as the hammer connected with her thumb rather than the nail.

"What, what is it?" Alex panicked, moving into the room.

"I hit my thumb!" Jo winced, dropping the hammer and bouncing up and down while wringing her hand. "Damn that _hurts_!" she cursed before putting her thumb to her mouth.

"Let me see, let me see," Alex frowned, taking her elbow and pulling her arm gently. "Ooh, it's bruising already," he winced after looking over Jo's hand. "Come on, let's get some ice on it."

"I'm fine," Jo blew him off.

"Of course you are," Alex ignored her, leading her towards the door. "Don't cause any trouble in here," he said to Sarah who was kicking her legs, oblivious to the accident. Sarah cooed up at him, causing Alex to smile.

"I'm fine, seriously," Jo said as Alex lead her down the hall.

"Stop being a badass and let me take care of you." Alex reached into the freezer, grabbing some ice cubes and putting them into a ziplock bag. He wrapped a dish rag around the bag and held it against Jo's thumb. "This will help with the swelling," he said quietly as she looked at him intently. He hadn't noticed how pretty her eyes were.

Jo swallowed hard and looked to her hand. "That does feel better," she admitted.

"Hold this," Alex instructed, moving the icepack into her hand before disappearing from the kitchen. Less than a minute later, he returned with four brown pills. "Take this," he ordered, setting the pills on the counter top beside Jo. "It will help with the pain _and_ the swelling." He turned towards the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of water for her.

Jo chewed her lip as Alex set the bottle of water beside the pills and took over holding the icepack again. She reached over, retrieving the pills and popping them all into her mouth, swallowing them quickly. "I was fine," she rolled her eyes. "Really."

Alex met her gaze for a moment. "Yeah, well, Sarah would have no compassion for you," he smirked.

"Good point," Jo grinned back. She watched as his cell dinged and Alex reached for it, his eyes running over a text. "Izzie, right?"

"How'd you know?" Alex asked as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

"Woman's intuition," Jo replied. "You can go on, I'm fine, really." She slid her hand under his, holding the icepack against her thumb.

Alex backed away slowly. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure," Jo nodded.

"Okay," Alex sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Just be more careful, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jo rolled her eyes. "Get out of here."

Alex's gaze lingered on her for a second before he retrieved his car keys. "See you later tonight. Call me if you need anything."

Alex would never admit it, but taking care of Jo felt..._right._


	6. Chapter 6 - Interference

Chapter 6 - Interference

"Seriously?" Alex groaned a week later as the interns burst into the clinic, teasing and poking one another like a bunch of teenagers.

George looked up from the computer screen, glancing to the interns, then looking back to his coworker. "Stop your bitching," he frowned. "You know they're going to rotate to the clinic."

"I know that," Alex snapped, "but most of them at least want to learn. But these three...hell, they're like the three stooges." He motioned to Shane, Leah, and Jason as he spoke.

"They're not that bad," George defended the interns. "They just need someone to teach them about the tiny humans."

Alex started to roll his eyes, but managed to stop himself. Arizona had driven him crazy with her whole 'tiny humans' soapbox, but her catch phrase had managed to work its way into his heart, and he truly saw the children as tiny humans who deserved the best care. "Knock it off," he barked, causing the interns to jump. "Just because you're in a children's clinic doesn't mean _you_ get to act like children."

One of the interns muttered something under his breath, causing the other two to laugh. Alex's eyes zoned in on the perpetrator-Jason, Jason Myers. Alex couldn't explain it, but Jason annoyed him the most. "What was that, Dr. Myers?" he glared.

Jason shifted and coughed before speaking. "I was just asking how else we were supposed to get on their level if we didn't act like children as well." Shane and Leah snickered again, then stopped abruptly when Alex's eyes shifted to them.

A slow, smug smile crossed Alex's lips as he pushed away from the desk. "I'm sure that sounds like logical advice to Larry and Mo over here, but you couldn't be more wrong, Myers! You have to be at the top of your game when it involves children! Imagine the body cavity of an adult, and shrink it down about four sizes. From what I hear, the three of you can't even operate without knicking _something_ and causing a bleeder! What the hell would you do inside of a child?!"

"Dr. Karev," George spoke, seeing the interns actually shake with fear.

Alex ignored him. "What, no more laughs?" he baited, moving in front of each of them. "Are you finally realizing that it's not all fun and games?! You actually have _lives_ in your hands?!"

"Dr. Karev," George spoke again, a bit harsher this time.

Alex barely glanced over to him. "Go check inventory," he dismissed the interns with a wave of his hand. They scattered instantly, nearly tripping over one another to get away from him. "What?!" he snapped as George stared at him.

George managed to keep his face straight for another few seconds before he laughed. "I never imagined you to be the one chewing intern ass over children."

Alex frowned deeply. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means that you started out shallow, superficial, and in it for the money of plastics," George reminded him. "Arizona was the best thing to happen to you, man." He clapped him on the shoulder before leaving the desk.

Alex watched the doctor disappear. George was right; before Addison and Arizona, Alex was a terrible, rotten person. Addison forced him to look beyond the tip of his nose. She could have trained him more, but she let her personal life run her out of Seattle. Then, Arizona stepped in. Arizona was the perfect mentor. She would have been the perfect woman for Alex, but...well, she wasn't attracted to men.

For some strange reason, Jo popped in Alex's mind at that time. He shook his head vigorously, as if shaking her loose from his thoughts. What the hell was that?

Luckily, Alex didn't have much longer to linger on why Jo was invading his brain while he was at work. "Curly!" he called over his shoulder as a mother walked in with a little boy who appeared to be around the age of four.

"I think he's talking to you," Leah whispered from behind a rack of gauze and nudged Jason with her elbow.

"Great," Jason muttered and jogged over to Alex. "Yes, Dr. Karev?"

"Do you think you can take care of that little boy?" Alex nodded towards the mother and son.

"Yes, Dr. Karev," Jason nodded before hurrying over to the mother, directing her to an exam table.

Alex already knew what the child was in for-Impetigo. He could could spot the bumps from across the clinic. He knew Dr. Myers wouldn't know what it was. Alex moved to the desk and began typing in a prescription for antibiotics. "Yes?" he asked, moving his eyes up minutes later as a shadow fell over the desk.

Jason shifted uncomfortably. "That boy, Eric, is five years old," he informed his mentor. "He has these...groups of bumps, and they have this...crust over them..."

"Did you touch it?" Alex asked.

"No," Jason shook his head quickly.

"Good," Alex nodded. "It's called Impetigo. Look it up and tell me what it is." He glanced over to the mother and gave her an encouraging smile.

Jason pulled out his smart phone, typing the illness into the search engine. "It's a bacterial infection," he informed Alex minutes later. "A round of antibiotics, and he should be fine."

"Any allergies?" Alex asked.

"No, sir," Jason replied after glancing to the clipboard in his hand.

Alex finished typing out the prescription, printed it, signed it, and passed it to the intern. "Impetigo is known for the honey-colored crust. Every time you see bumps with that type of crust, it's Impetigo, got it?"

"Yes, sir, thank you for teaching me," Jason replied nervously before dashing off towards the patient.

"Brown noser," Alex mumbled to himself. "Larry, Mo, you're up!" he barked as two more patients came in.

"Which one of us is Larry?" Shane hissed as he and Leah hurried from the supply closet.

"Who cares!" Leah exclaimed, ducking her head as she passed Alex.

The interns did fairly well, Alex had to give them credit. For the most part, they were able to treat the patients on their own with very few questions to him. They had a new respect for the 'tiny humans' and were taking their jobs very seriously. Alex made rounds on each patient, checking to make sure that the interns were properly diagnosing them and giving the correct form of treatment.

Everything was fine until he reached Leah. Leah was pale and shaking while a little girl was sobbing against her mother's chest. "Hello, I'm Dr. Karev," Alex spoke gently to the mother. "What's the problem here?" His eyes shifted to Leah.

"I-I tr-tried to draw bl-blood," Leah began.

"It's our fault," the mother jumped in quickly. "Katie jerked her arm, and the needle came out."

"I didn't know they'd jerk like that," Leah whispered as Alex glanced over the counter top, seeing a second set of supplies. "I was going to try-try again."

"Watch this time," Alex said as he washed and dried his hands. "Hi, Katie," he spoke brightly to the little girl, then motioned for Leah to open the supplies.

"Hi," the little girl replied, peeking out at him with one eye.

"My name is Dr. Karev, but you can call me Alex," Alex said as he sat on the stool beside the exam table. "I'm going to take a look at your arm, okay?"

"No!" Katie shrieked and turned her face back into her mother's chest.

"I've got her this time," Katie's mother assured them as she tightened her hold on her daughter.

Alex nodded as Leah passed him the winged needle. "Okay, Katie, you don't have to look if you don't want to," he said as he dabbed the alcohol on her forearm before wrapping the tourniquet around her arm. "But you're going to miss the butterfly."

"Utterfly?" Katie questioned, turning to look at him now.

"Yep, a purple butterfly," Alex said as he pulled on a pair of gloves.

"She loves purple," the mother whispered to Leah.

Katie's eyes were focused on Alex as he held the needle above his head. He made a fluttering noise with his lips and eased the needle to her arm, slipping the needle into the vein easily as he made a dramatic gasp. "Did the butterfly land on your arm?!"

Katie's eyes widened. "It did!"

"Give me the tube," Alex said quietly to Leah as the blood flowed through the line. He slipped the blood tube into the holder smoothly. "I think the butterfly likes you!" Seconds later he passed Leah the tube filled with blood. "Say bye bye to the butterfly!"

"Bye!" Katie exclaimed, watching as Alex pulled the needle from her arm and pressed gauze to the collection site.

"You're amazing," the mother raved, holding the gauze to her daughter's arm. "You must have kids at home."

"Just a niece," Alex smiled as he put the needle and tubing into the sharps container, then snatched off his gloves and washed his hands again. "You were such a brave girl, Katie!"

"Utterfly!" Katie exclaimed and clapped.

Alex ruffled her hair and took a step back. "We'll let you know as soon as we get the results back, okay?"

"Thank you, Dr. Karev."

Alex smiled and turned towards the desk, frowning when the door to the clinic flew open and Jo, with Sarah, blew inside. "Jo?" he questioned, his eyebrows knitting together. "What is it? Are you okay?" His eyes moved to his niece, who was clearly flushed.

"Something is wrong with Sarah!" Jo exclaimed frantically. "She had a fever as soon as she woke up this morning. I thought it was just cause she was sleeping under her blanket, you know? Anyway, I gave her a bath, but her fever didn't come down." Jo shifted Sarah into Alex's arms as she spoke. "I got her to take half of her bottle, and I gave her some baby Tylenol, but her fever still hasn't come down!"

"She does feel warm," Alex agreed as he pressed his lips to Sarah's forehead. "Come on." He motioned Jo to one of the empty tables and pulled the curtain around them. "Here," he eased Sarah back into Jo's arms and pulled the thermometer from his pocket, running it across her forehead. "A hundred degrees?!" he barked, glaring at Jo.

"I did everything I was supposed to!" Jo exclaimed, bouncing Sarah gently as she became fussy. "It was one hundred and one!"

"Did you notice anything yesterday?" Alex asked, sitting down and flashing his penlight across Sarah's eyes.

"She slept a lot more yesterday," Jo admitted. "I thought maybe she was getting a cold or something. Oh my God, does she have the flu?! Babies can die from the flu, can't they?!"

"Jo, calm down," Alex said gently, pulling his stethoscope from around his neck and putting it to Sarah's chest. It didn't sound like an upper respiratory infection or anything. "Has she been pulling at her ear?"

"Yeah, she was last night," Jo nodded, watching as Alex pulled another instrument from his pocket.

"Yep, it's an ear infection," Alex diagnosed after looking into Sarah's ear. "She's definitely got a fluid build up."

"Poor baby," Jo fussed, cradling Sarah against her. "What do we do?"

Alex bit his lip. He wasn't quite sure if he should go ahead and prescribe Sarah antibiotics, or give her another day or two to see if it cleared up on its own. With no shot records, he wasn't fully comfortable prescribing antibiotics right away. "Just watch her for the rest of today," Alex advised. "Keep giving her the Tylenol, and let her rest as much as she can."

"That's it?!" Jo snapped. "Medicine and rest? Seriously!"

"Look," Alex snapped back, "I don't know anything about Sarah's history. I don't know if she even _has_ an immune system because I don't know if Amber breast fed her. I don't know what shots she's had. Hell, I don't even know her allergies! What if she's allergic to Amoxicillin, and I give it to her?!"

"I didn't think of that," Jo admitted quietly and bit her lip, looking down as Sarah curled towards her. "Alex, I hate seeing her like this," she whispered as tears filled her eyes.

"I know, me too," Alex replied softly, blinking back tears as well. Talk about sticking a knife in his chest! His niece was nowhere near her happy, kicking, cooing self! "You hang in there too," he advised Jo, reaching out and patting her shoulder. "Just cuddle with her, try to get her to eat, and if she gets worse, bring her back, okay?"

"Okay," Jo nodded and slid from the table. "Thanks..."

"No problem," Alex smiled, ushering her towards the door. "Thank you for bringing her in. You did the right thing."

Jo wasn't paying Alex very much attention as a young man in light blue scrubs caught her eye. He was looking through papers on a clipboard, but looked up, giving her a double take. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," Jason grinned back, giving Jo a long, slow up-and-down look.

Alex frowned deeply, his eyes shifting between the two. "Don't you have something to do?" he growled, causing the intern to scurry off.

"Who's that?" Jo asked, turning her head and glancing over her shoulder, her eyes following the young man in light blue scrubs.

"A stupid intern," Alex snapped. "Why do you care?"

"I was just asking!" Jo exclaimed. "He's pretty hot."

"Yeah, well, he's stupid as hell," Alex dismissed. "I'll see you at home later."

"Have a good day," Jo replied before leaving the clinic.

Alex stood there, his gaze lingering as the doors swung closed. He didn't like that little exchange that had just taken place. He wasn't exactly sure _why_ he didn't like the exchange, but...he didn't like it! It had nothing to do with Jo. Absolutely nothing to do with Jo. Jason was a stupid intern, and the jerk didn't need anything else clouding his mind. Yes, that was it. He didn't want his idiotic interns distracted any more than necessary. "Hey, Curly!" Alex shouted as another mother brought her child in.

"Yes, Dr. Karev?" Jason asked, jogging over to his mentor.

"You're up," Alex chuckled as the little boy vomited.

Jason's face blanched as he visually assessed the child. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Alex smirked, clapping him on the back. A part of Alex felt a bit of power as the intern walked over to the mother and child, promptly getting thrown up on. "You might want one of these," he offered, tossing an isolation gown in Jason's direction.

The childish, yes, Alex could admit that he was being childish, move made the time pass relatively easy. Plus seeing Jason getting puked on repeatedly made Alex's spirits lift. The guy wasn't nearly as cocky when he was wiping vomit from his scrubs.

"You guys can break for lunch," Alex informed the interns as the clinic quieted at lunch hour. "Be back by one thirty, got it?"

"I can't eat a thing," Jason grumbled, causing Leah and Shane to laugh and tease him.

"Hey," Alex greeted after turning towards the desk, seeing Izzie breeze in the clinic like a runway model.

"Hey," Izzie grinned, pecking his cheek and looping her arm through his. "I'm taking you to lunch, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Perfect," Alex agreed, actually thankful for Izzie. His mind was on the fritz, and he needed some time with someone who understood him.

"Alex!" Jo exclaimed, rushing into the clinic again. "Her fever is going up!"

"Excuse me," Alex untangled himself from Izzie and scooped Sarah from Jo's arms, taking her to an exam table.

Izzie leaned against the nurse's station and pouted as she watched her boyfriend and the hot nanny interact. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, but...they seemed like a little family. Jo was clearly upset about whatever was wrong with the baby, and not only was Alex taking care of his niece, but he was calming Jo down in the process. The thought of jealousy almost took root in Izzie, but she noticed one of the interns practically drooling over Jo. Her eyes flicked over his badge. "You interested in her, Dr. Myers?" she asked coyly and nodded towards Jo.

"Uh, ummm, no," Jason stuttered, shaking his head and looking away.

"You sure?" Izzie asked. "I could introduce you...I know her..."

Jason bit his lip. "You do?" he asked, running his hand over his head.

"I do," Izzie confirmed. "She's single too." Her eyes moved back to the exam table as Alex scribbled something onto a prescription pad and handed the slip to Jo. "Everything okay, honey?" she asked as Alex returned to her side.

"Sarah has an ear infection," Alex sighed, smoothing his fingers over Sarah's head. "Jo's going to get her antibiotics now."

"Thanks for helping her," Jo sighed and bounced Sarah gently.

"Jo, have you met Dr. Myers?" Izzie shifted gears, nodding to the intern that was brushed behind Alex.

"No, I haven't," Jo shook her head, glancing around Alex to the intern and smiling softly.

"Hey, just call me Jason," Jason grinned and moved closer to Jo.

Alex frowned deeply as he watched the intern and nanny make introductions and start small talk. "Jo, you really need to get those antibiotics," he spoke up harshly. "And Dr. Myers was just on his way to lunch."

Jason glanced to Alex unsurely before turning his attention back to Jo. "Yeah, I was...hey, I'll walk you out."

"Aren't they cute?" Izzie giggled as she watched the two leave.

"What did you do that for?!" Alex frowned, glaring at his girlfriend.

"What?" Izzie asked innocently.

"I don't need her distracted!" Alex exclaimed, throwing a finger in the direction of the clinic door. "She's taking care of my niece, Izz! I don't need her getting involved with some guy! Sarah will be the one who suffers!"

"Calm down, Alex!" Izzie exclaimed, putting her hands to her boyfriend's chest. "Jo is great with Sarah. She won't let someone mess that up." Izzie had to admit...she introduced Jo and Jason for completely selfish reasons. Izzie would be a lot more comfortable knowing that the hot nanny was at least seeing someone. "Besides, Jo was going to start dating eventually. A girl like that doesn't stay single forever."

Alex ran his hand over his hair. "Whatever," he grumbled and snatched off his lab coat. "Let's go, we're already late." Izzie looped her arm through his again and babbled aimlessly as they walked across the parking lot; Alex wasn't even listening to her. Alex was raging inside. The thought of Jason dating Jo made his skin crawl. What Alex said was true-he didn't want his niece's care suffering because Jo had her mind on other things. He hadn't pulled that out of his ass; he truly meant it. However...Alex was actively angry at the thought of Jo getting involved with Jason...but he wasn't fully sure _why_.


	7. Chapter 7 - Realizing the Truth

**A/N - Jason got the EXACT reaction I was hoping for ;)**

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Chapter 7 - Realizing the Truth

Alex sighed heavily a couple of weeks later as he pulled his Charger into his neighborhood. It had been a long week, and he was ready to come home, grab a beer, and relax in front of the television. Too bad he couldn't do that. Nope, tonight was Izzie night.

Things had picked up at the clinic recently, and Alex had put in many, many long hours. Long hours meant that he didn't have much time for anything, including his girlfriend Izzie. Izzie, of course, took it that Alex was really doing Jo on the side. Alex was trying hard to be patient and to see things from Izzie's perspective. He even switched the tables in his head-_he_ wouldn't like it at all if Izzie had some hot guy living in her house, whether he was a nanny, a maid, or whatever. However, Alex also trusted Izzie. He didn't think she'd step out on him.

Alex tried not to focus on the fact that Izzie obviously didn't trust him. He tried to chalk it up to typical female jealousy, but...it bothered him that Izzie thought he would cheat on her. Alex wasn't that guy anymore. Yeah, when he started off, he was quite the douche; he could freely admit it. You had to be honest about yourself, you know? But again, Alex was not that guy anymore. He had finally grown up and matured. He was a man now, not some boy notching up his bedpost.

With all that aside...Alex could understand Izzie's insecurity. Jo was hot, obviously hot. And the little situation they had going on was quite intimate. They lived together for crying out loud! Alex came home, and Jo was always there. Jo caught everything-his good moods, his bad moods, his irritations. She was his sounding board. She sassed him when he was taking out a bad day on her, and she talked him down when he was upset. Jo was being everything to him that Izzie should be...and it was starting to get to him. Alex found himself looking at Jo sometimes wondering what it would be like to date her. Not the physical aspect of it, but the emotional part of dating. What if Alex came home to his girlfriend Jo, not his nanny Jo? Would they cuddle on the couch and talk more intimately? Would she rub his shoulders when he was tense? Would he do little things like bring her home random flowers he picked up from the market? Jo appreciated the little things-she didn't have to have hundred dollar bouquets in crystal vases.

That thought process alone let Alex know that he wasn't spending near enough time with Izzie. He was letting his work and his home life push Izzie to the back burner.

Alex glanced over to the take-out containers nestled in the passenger seat as he neared his townhouse. Tonight was operation suck-up. He'd picked up Izzie's favorite-take-out Chinese, a chick flick from the red box, and her favorite wine was chilling in the refrigerator. He didn't have the energy for a night on the town, but an intimate night at home with all of her favorite things might put her back on speaking terms with him.

Alex smiled in spite of himself as he pulled his car into his driveway. There, in the front yard nestled on a blanket was Jo and Sarah. Jo sat cross-legged, but was standing Sarah on her feet. The infant bounced unsurely, but slowly became accustomed to the strength in her legs and managed to hold her body steady. Sarah squealed as she watched Alex climb from the car. "Hey, pretty girl," Alex grinned, stopping in front of the two.

"Thanks, but what about Sarah?" Jo smirked.

"Ha ha," Alex rolled his eyes before dropping the take-out and scooping Sarah up, placing kisses all over her cheeks.

Jo smiled to herself as the little girl laughed and squealed. Her eye naturally dropped to the take-out box on the ground beside the blanket. In all the time she'd lived there, Jo noticed that Alex was always grabbing take-out. The man didn't even really buy groceries-he just picked up something on his way home from work. Jo wondered if Alex even knew what a home-cooked meal tasted like. "Take-out again?" she asked casually as Alex deposited Sarah into her arms.

"Yeah," Alex shrugged, bending and retrieving the box of food. "This is suck up to Izzie night."

"Ah, I see," Jo nodded. "Haven't had much time for her lately, huh?"

"No," Alex shook his head. "Hopefully tonight will fix that."

"So she's coming over?" Jo asked, glancing to him as she stood Sarah on her feet again. "Do we need to go to the park or something?"

"No, no, you're fine," Alex shook his head no. He bit his lip. "Maybe we should leave..."

"Don't be silly," Jo dismissed with a shake of her head. "This is your house...you should hang with your girlfriend in your own house." She chewed her lip as her eyes settled on the take-out box. "Can I make a suggestion? It might piss you off," she warned.

Alex smiled softly; most things about Jo pissed him off, but in a good way. Jo challenged him. She made her thoughts and views known, and she didn't let him run over her. Jo was no man's doormat. "Go ahead."

"Why don't you cook for her?" Jo offered. "Anybody can grab some cheap take-out. Cooking would show her that you're really sorry for giving her the shaft lately."

"I haven't given her the shaft," Alex frowned.

"You haven't given her _your_ shaft," Jo teased, "but you've totally blown her off. I swear, I haven't seen her in, like, two weeks!"

Alex rubbed his hand along his neck. Jo was right, surprise surprise. "I don't cook," he admitted. "It's easier to grab take-out anyway. We're just going to eat and watch a movie."

"She might like it better if you had a candle lit dinner before the movie," Jo suggested. "Greasy Chinese food from a box and a movie doesn't really say I'm sorry for ignoring you."

"Fine," Alex snapped, becoming slightly annoyed. "Who's going to cook this meal though? You?"

"Hell no," Jo frowned. "I'm not cooking your booty call meal." She cradled Sarah against her body and rose from the blanket. "You're cooking; come on."

Alex gathered the blanket and followed Jo inside. "Sooooooo, do you like Chinese?" he asked, looking to the take-out boxes.

"Love it," Jo called over her shoulder. "Put it in the refrigerator and wash up while I change Sarah."

Alex watched as Jo disappeared into her bedroom. He moved towards the kitchen, stopping as a picture frame on his coffee table caught his eye. Letting the blanket drop to the floor, Alex moved towards the table, carefully picking up the framed picture of Sarah. He sat onto the couch slowly, tracing his finger around the frame. It was amazing how in a matter of weeks this little girl had changed his life for the better. Alex thought his life was perfect, and that nothing needed to change. He never realized what he was truly missing until the infant was dropped in his lap. Sarah was amazing, and she gave him something that he never realized he needed. Alex stared at her smiling face and her bright eyes, jarring when his cellphone blared. "Hello?" he answered, reaching for it automatically without bothering to see who it was. He knew that it was either Izzie or Arizona.

The caller was silent, though breathed heavily.

"Hello?" Alex frowned, pulling the phone from his ear and checking the screen. Blocked. The number was blocked. "Amber?" he questioned quietly.

The caller remained silent, but the breathing quickened.

"Amber, please," Alex begged. "You can't do this to Sarah. She needs her mother! Amber!" Alex snatched the phone from his ear as 'Call Ended' flashed on the screen. "Damnit!"

"Hey, what's with all the yelling?" Jo frowned as she returned to the living room and eased Sarah into the playpen.

Alex eased the picture frame back onto the table and leaned back against the couch. "I think Amber just called."

Jo bit her lip, seeing that Alex was truly upset. Most of the times when he was angry, Alex would raise his voice and curse, but...this wasn't anger. He was sad, upset. Jo sat beside him on the couch quietly. She wasn't sure what to say, so she remained quiet and pat his knee gently.

Alex sat in silence for several minutes. What was wrong with his sister? How could she just abandon her child?! Did Amber not realize how lucky she was to even _have_ Sarah?! Alex shook the thoughts from his mind and looked to Jo's hand on his knee. His eyes focused on how her fingers stroked his knee in an attempt to calm him. Jo was like that-she didn't have to say a word, but she was there to provide comfort. Izzie never provided comfort-she yapped and yapped at him until he finally told her what was wrong. Izzie had to know everything while Jo didn't have to know a single thing; she simply provided comfort and let Alex tell her what was wrong when he was ready.

Why was he even comparing the two?

Alex glanced away from Jo before speaking. "So, what are you teaching me to cook? It better not be too hard."

Jo smiled softly, looking over to him and meeting his gaze. "Parmesan Chicken."

"That sounds hard," Alex deadpanned.

"A monkey could do it," Jo blew him off, then smiled. "That's why I'm teaching it to _you_."

"Ha ha," Alex replied dryly as she retracted her hand and stood.

"Is Izzie on one of those low-carb diets?" Jo asked with a roll of her eyes. "Because I was thinking Parmesan Chicken, pasta, and green beans?"

Alex shrugged. "She eats pasta all of the time."

"Good," Jo replied, turned on the baby monitor, and started towards the kitchen. "Don't let my Chinese food go to waste."

Alex watched her a second before scooping up the box of food and following her into the kitchen. "Are you sure you don't want us to go to a hotel or something?" he asked as he opened the refrigerator and stuffed the take-out containers onto Jo's shelf.

"Seriously, I'm fine," Jo replied as she washed her hands. "God made iPods for a reason." She offered Alex soap as he joined her at the sink.

A small part of Alex felt dirty. Considering how long it'd been since he and Izzie had spent time together, and then add in the fact that he was cooking...he was pretty sure the two of them would wind up making love that night. With his nanny and niece in the house. "I don't mind, really."

"It's fine," Jo snapped. Seriously, what was his problem? Why did he keep being so...so..._nice_ and offering to leave his own house?! Geez! Jo turned away from the sink abruptly and dried her hands. Yes, she offered to help Alex butter up his girlfriend, but the fact that he kept offering to leave just confirmed that Jo would be listening to Izzie scream Alex's name tonight. She was not looking forward to that.

So she threw herself into the one thing that calmed her. Cooking.

Jo moved to the refrigerator, grabbing bread crumbs and cheese and plunking the containers onto the counter before retrieving pepper and garlic powder. "Mix this together," she said to Alex and retrieved him a bowl and teaspoon.

Alex's eyes roamed the ingredients. "Just...mix it together?"

Jo pursed her lips, realizing that she was working with an amateur. "Hold out your hand," she ordered as she opened the container of bread crumbs. She filled Alex's palm with crumbs, then turned his hand over the bowl. "Do the same with the cheese," she said as she set the container aside. "Measure the pepper and garlic powder, one teaspoon, then mix it together."

Alex felt that surge of electricity between them, but ignored it and focused on the task at hand. He had really blown Izzie off lately and needed to make it up to her. It wasn't Izzie's fault that his life was completely crazy.

"Good job," Jo praised as Alex pulled out the pan of cooked chicken breasts half an hour later. She grabbed a knife and made a small cut in the middle of the biggest piece of chicken. "Perfectly done." She set the knife aside as the doorbell rang. "Can you plate this up while I let your chick in?"

"Yeah, I think so," Alex nodded, glancing to the pots of food. "Hey, Jo," he called, turning to look at her.

"Yeah?" she asked, stopping in the door of the kitchen.

"Thank you."

Jo smiled softly, feeling her cheeks redden. "No problem," she replied, casually shrugging, before moving towards the front door. "Hey," she greeted after opening the door. Jo's eyes hardened instantly. Izzie was wearing a tight black dress that enhanced every curve she had. Her long blonde hair was perfectly curled and hung loosely down her back. In short, the woman looked like walking sex, and Jo instantly felt inferior. Not to mention she was jealous as hell.

"Hey," Izzie replied cooly and stepped inside.

Jo closed the door quickly. "Alex, is, uh, in the kitchen," she stuttered and moved to the playpen, grabbing Sarah quickly. "We'll give you two some space."

Izzie smiled to herself as the nanny scurried from the room. She smoothed her hands over her tight dress before sassing into the kitchen. "Mmmm, something smells delicious."

Alex glanced over his shoulder, doing a double take as his mouth dropped. "H-Hey," he choked out, his mouth continuing to hang open.

Izzie grinned wickedly. "I see that you like my dress?"

"Oh yeah," Alex nodded, his mouth going dry. He had forgotten how insanely hot Izzie was. "Umm, I cooked dinner," he stuttered, looking back to the plates as he placed a piece of chicken onto each plate.

Izzie walked over to him and pressed against him. "I brought dessert."

Jo forced herself to remain in her room with Sarah for most of the night. The only time she left was to go to the bathroom or get something to drink. One time Alex and Izzie were sitting at the dining room table holding hands. Another time they were cuddled on the couch starting up a movie. Call her crazy, but Jo could swear that Izzie was trying to make her jealous. It seemed that every time Jo passed through, Izzie would touch or kiss Alex. Like she was making her claim on him or something, which was ridiculous. Alex was hers; there was no competition here.

Sarah began to fuss, snatching Jo from her thoughts. Jo moved to the crib, gathering Sarah and bouncing her gently. Jo attempted to play with Sarah, but Sarah was too cranky. After checking her diaper, Jo realized that Sarah was hungry. Which meant...Jo was going to have to go into the kitchen to make her a bottle.

Jo didn't want to go into the kitchen. She might catch Alex mid-thrust or something, and she definitely didn't want to see that! Jo tried to distract Sarah, but it was clear that the baby was hungry. Sighing heavily, Jo eased Sarah into the crib and popped a pacifier into her mouth. "I'll be right back," she promised and smoothed her fingers over the child's head. Squaring her shoulders, Jo turned and marched from her room. Alex told her this was her house too-she had every right to go into the kitchen and make Sarah a bottle.

Jo didn't look left or right as she moved to the kitchen, but she heard their noises none the less. Izzie was clearly doing something Alex enjoyed, and it wouldn't be long before the two were headed for the bedroom. Jo wished they would hurry up and get there so that she wouldn't have to hear them! Focusing on the task at hand, Jo mixed the formula and warmed it briefly before capping the bottle and leaving the kitchen. As she passed the living room, her nose scrunched in disgust. Izzie met Jo's gaze before straddling Alex, his hand promptly going to her freshly exposed thigh.

For some strange reason, a streak of jealousy flared in Jo. It angered her. "You know," she said, unable to resist, "you could save yourself a lot of trouble if you just went ahead and peed on him."

Izzie's eyes widened as she looked to the sassy nanny. "Excuse me?" she asked as Alex chuckled.

"It's clear that you're establishing he's yours," Jo sated. "It might save you a lot more time and effort if you just peed on him now. You know, mark your territory?" She smiled sweetly before returning to her room.

Jo could hear Alex laugh as she closed her door. Izzie didn't seem to appreciate her joke though. Jo clutched the bottle in her hand as tears filled her eyes. What was wrong with her?! Why was she so upset by this? Why did she feel like she wanted to throw up? Jo wiped the tears from her eyes stubbornly and moved over to the crib, cradling Sarah in her arms as she settled on her bed. Sarah resisted the bottle at first, but her hunger weighed out her stubbornness.

Jo sat in a daze as she fed Sarah.

Was she falling for Alex?

No!

She couldn't be falling for Alex! Alex was a jerk! And he had a girlfriend! A girlfriend that he sent flowers to, cooked for, and obviously boinked on a couch! Alex was a creep!

Jo blinked back fresh tears. This was insane! She must be hormonal or something. She couldn't be falling for Alex; he was her boss. With a girlfriend. He was her boss with a girlfriend. Izzie made him completely off limits. Being Jo's boss made him doubly off limits. Their relationship would get entirely too messy if they ever crossed that line.

But again, it didn't matter because Alex had a girlfriend.

Jo wiped away the tears and shook her head. She was tired, yes, that was it. She was tired, run down, and had a lot on her plate. Caring for Sarah took a lot out of her. Plus, she was spending entirely too much time cooped up in the house with Alex. She needed a night off. Jo needed one night away from Alex. She needed some time to herself so that she could feel like she had a _life_ again. Too much of her time was being given to Sarah and Alex.

Jo set the empty bottle aside and burped Sarah before changing her diaper and settling her in bed for the night. Jo cringed when she heard Izzie giggle. Snatching up her iPod, Jo stuffed the earbuds into her ears and turned her music all the way up to drown out the sounds of foreplay from the living room.

Jo paced her bedroom, trying desperately to _not_ picture what was going on in the living room. She stopped pacing as her eyes landed on her cellphone that was charging on her dresser.

Two could play this game.

Jo picked up her phone and composed a new text. _Hey, Jason, whatcha doing?_


	8. Chapter 8 - Sweet Revenge

**A/N - Again, thank you all for the reviews to this story! The Jolex fandom is a-freaking-mazing! I swear, I think I could get quite comfortable here ;)**

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Chapter 8 - Sweet Revenge

Alex groaned inwardly as he heard the door to the clinic swish open Monday evening. The clinic was nearing closing time, and he was ready to leave. However, he could always count on an emergency in the last few minutes before closing that would keep him there at least half an hour later. That was how his luck worked. Alex's head quirked as a familiar perfume wafted into his nostrils. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked as Izzie approached the desk in her melon-colored scrubs. She was wearing the flared-leg set that he liked.

"I closed up my office early," Izzie reported and adjusted her ponytail. "I was thinking we could go to my place tonight."

"Oh," Alex said quietly, his mouth forming an 'o' shape. The thought was incredibly tempting, especially after the events of Friday night, but he knew that he'd have to decline her offer; which would probably piss her off, and he'd be in trouble again. He may as well order her flowers first thing in the morning.

Friday night had been amazing. After whipping up the dinner with Jo, Alex swooped back into Izzie's good graces. Izzie loved the food, couldn't believe that Alex had cooked for her, and spent most of the night showing him how thankful she was. It was actually the best sex they'd had in a long time. Izzie definitely knew how to make him respond to her.

But...Alex felt dirty. Not the good, sexy dirty either. Bad dirty. He had lay in bed staring at the ceiling while Izzie slept curled against his chest. He should have been reflecting on the mind-blowing sex they'd had, multiple times by the way, but he wasn't. Alex had been thinking of Jo. He'd really screwed her that night. Jo had taught him how to cook a meal out of the kindness of her heart, and how had Alex repaid her? By pounding his girlfriend all night, and Izzie wasn't one to keep quiet. He was certain Jo had heard everything.

Things had been tense all weekend. Jo hardly spoke to him. In fact, she'd rarely left her bedroom. The only time Alex had seen her was when she was making Sarah a bottle of formula. He wasn't even sure if Jo herself had eaten. He had offered to heat up the Chinese take-out for her, but Jo had refused. Claimed she wasn't hungry.

That morning before work, Alex noticed the take-out containers in the trash. Full. Jo had thrown away the Chinese food without so much as taking a single bite. It was clear to him that she was pissed, but unlike Izzie, Jo suffered in silence. She didn't yell and scream; she simply went about her business and ignored him.

Alex would rather have her scream at him. The silent treatment was about to kill him.

"What's wrong?" Izzie asked, her brow furrowing as she eased around the desk and behind the office chair, wrapping her arms around Alex's shoulders. "Don't you want to continue Friday night?" she purred in his ear before nipping his lobe.

Alex closed his eyes a moment, shivering at the arousing touch. "I'd love to, really, I'd love to, but I can't." He sighed heavily, a quick lie coming to mind. No way could he tell Izzie that he felt the need to suck up to Jo. She'd completely misunderstand and go into a flying rage. "Catherine Avery is in town, and I've got to meet with her and the rest of the board pertaining to the clinic."

"They aren't going to close down the clinic, are they?" Izzie frowned and danced her fingers up and down his arms.

"I don't know," Alex shrugged, feeling a bit guilty for lying. "I'll let you know when I find out something."

"Maybe the budget for the clinic has increased," Izzie suggested, biting her lip.

"Who knows with the Avery family," Alex shrugged as he shut down the computer and stood. "They've been cutting research projects left and right, so they might cut the clinic too." That part actually wasn't a lie. The Avery foundation had shut down several trials in an attempt to cut costs. Alex did worry that the clinic would be closed as well; he didn't fear for a job, but he liked offering something to those who might not be able to afford a hospital visit.

"Call me later," Izzie pecked a kiss to his cheek.

"Later," Alex promised as they left the clinic. Izzie continued to her car as he turned and locked up the doors of the clinic. He purposely slowed his steps, giving her time to crank up and leave the parking lot. Once in his car, Alex pulled his cell from his pocket and called Jo. He sighed heavily when she ignored his call. He couldn't really say that he was surprised.

Alex pulled from the parking lot, taking a direction completely opposite from the direction of his townhouse. The pediatrician knew women well enough to know that Jo probably tossed the Chinese food because it was originally for Izzie. No woman wanted another woman's rejects. So, Alex was going out of his way to pick up Jo her own Chinese food, and he was giving her the night off. Jo was free to do whatever she wanted tonight.

Deep down, Alex hoped that his actions would put Jo in a better mood where he was concerned. He had grown fond of her quite quickly, and he was dependent on her. The past weekend had been a very lonely weekend for the doctor. It felt like he'd seriously lost his best friend.

After picking up the take-out, Alex tried one more time to call Jo, but again, she didn't answer. A part of him began to get annoyed. Jo needed to answer the phone when he called; what if something was wrong with Sarah? He needed to be able to reach Jo. It was fine if she was pissed, but she was acting completely unprofessional now. All feelings aside, she _was_ the nanny. The caregiver. Alex needed access to her.

Alex's thoughts shifted gears as he neared his townhouse. His brows knit together as his eyes settled on the red mustang parked near his mailbox. Did Jo have company? And who in the world possessed such an ostentatious car? A red mustang screamed _look at me, I have money!_ His next thought made Alex's stomach turn cold. Did...did Jo have some guy inside? Was she dating someone?

The idea made Alex pull into the driveway, park the car, and sit there. He sat in his car for several minutes just staring at the front door. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go inside and have his fears confirmed.

But...why was he bothered by Jo possibly dating someone?

Alex flung open the door to his car, refusing to let the thought take root. He didn't care if Jo dated someone. No, he didn't. Hell, he didn't care if she screwed someone's brains out. Whatever. He didn't care. He didn't care at all. Alex continued to mentally pep-talk himself as he walked towards the front door, his steps naturally slowing. He didn't care if Jo was seeing anyone. Jo was his friend. Hell, she was more like his sister. He didn't have feelings for his sister. He was perfectly fine with Jo seeing someone.

Hopefully she had a chick friend over though. That would make him feel _much_ better.

Alex's eyes scanned the living room as he stepped inside quietly. The room was vacant. He shut the door and eased over to the playpen. Empty as well. Setting the Chinese take-out on an end table, the doctor eased down the hall towards Jo's room. As he neared the bedroom door, he realized that the door to the room that was originally meant for Sarah was open and a light was spilling through the doorway into the hall.

Alex's brows knit together as he eased into the room, his eyes dancing over the furniture.

Jo had turned the room into a nursery for Sarah. Colorful cartoon characters were scattered across the walls, and Sarah was cooing happily in a new crib. Alex peered over the side of the crib, seeing the baby kick her feet and reach up for him. Sarah seemed happy enough, but...Alex wasn't happy with her being in a completely different room from Jo. It wasn't like Sarah was napping or anything; she was awake! How could Jo leave her alone when she was awake?

Alex pursed his lips before handing Sarah a rattle that had been tossed aside. Taking a slow, calming breath, the doctor squared his shoulders and strode across the hall, seeing that Jo's bedroom door was pushed halfway closed. He took another slow breath before stepping inside.

What was going on inside the room made Alex go from calm to irate in two seconds flat.

Jason Myers was hovered over Jo assaulting her mouth.

Alex stood stunned for a moment as he took in the scene of the intern making out with his nanny. And it wasn't exactly G-rated kissing. It seemed that Jason was attempting to ingest Jo while one arm slid under her back and the opposite hand worked open the buttons of her blouse and dipped inside, cupping her breast.

Jo gasped as Jason was jerked away from her. "Alex!" she exclaimed, scrambling from the bed as Alex tossed the intern to the floor. "Alex, stop!"

Alex ignored her as his hand clamped down on the back of Jason's neck and hauled him from the bedroom. "Get out," he growled and shoved the man to the floor.

"Dr. Karev, I wasn't," Jason started as he staggered to his feet.

"Shut it!" Alex barked, throwing a finger towards the front door. "Get out. Now."

"Jason, wait!" Jo hurried after him as the intern ran from the house, jumping into his car and squealing down the street. "What the hell is your problem?!" she directed at Alex.

"_My_ problem?" Alex asked, his eyebrows lifting.

"Yeah, your problem!" Jo shot back. "You literally just threw him out! He could press charges for that!"

"He won't," Alex scoffed. Even if the intern did press charges, Alex had tons of insurance, and he knew enough people in the city that the case would never make it to court. "Don't turn this around on me!"

"This isn't my fault," Jo snapped.

"It's hard to believe that when I'm looking at your rack," Alex countered. In her haste, Jo hadn't adjusted her clothes, and he was getting an eyeful of the black lacy bra she was wearing. His eyes were naturally drawn to her points of arousal-it was clear that the stupid intern had her all hot and bothered.

"God," Jo muttered, fumbling with the buttons, missing one in her attempt to cover her protruding nipples. "I can't believe you threw my guest out!"

"I can't believe you had someone here!" Alex roared. "You're supposed to be watching Sarah! Anything could have happened to her while you were playing tonsil hockey with that guy!"

"I had the baby monitor on!" Jo yelled back. "And what does it matter _who_ I have over?"

"It's disrespectful!" Alex retorted.

"Oh, but it's fine for you and Izzie to do it?!"

"This is _my_ house!"

Jo's mouth dropped. He actually played the 'my' house card. "You said it was my house too!" she reminded him hotly.

Alex ran a hand over his hair in frustration. Seeing Jason on top of Jo had really done something to him. He'd never wanted to hurt anyone as much as he wanted to destroy Jason at the moment. "You can't have booty calls over when you're watching Sarah."

"I'm _always_ watching Sarah!" Jo retaliated. "Do you realize that?! I have no life!"

"You sure managed to have one today!" Alex spat.

Jo grit her teeth as her eyes narrowed at him. "Why does it make you so angry?" she demanded.

Alex felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. "What?" he asked, deflated.

"Why does it make you angry?" Jo repeated. "Yeah, I'm making out with a guy, so what? Why does it make you mad?" She shifted her weight to her right hip and crossed her arms defiantly. Could Alex be so angry because...because he was feeling what she was feeling?

It hit Alex out of left field. All of this time together...all of their talks...watching television...cooking dinner...he cared for Jo. He really cared for her, more than he should. Especially with a girlfriend. He couldn't care about Jo when he was with Izzie! It wasn't fair to either one of them. "Sarah was in the other room," he finally replied weakly. It was a pitiful argument, and he knew it. "She could have choked or something, and you wouldn't have known anything was wrong because _he_ was all over you." Alex refused to say the intern's name. The image of Jason settled between Jo's legs flashed in his mind again.

Disgust crossed her face as Jo shook her head. "Tell me the truth."

"Wh-what?" the pediatrician asked quietly.

"Tell me the truth!" the nanny demanded.

"I did!" Alex roared, feeling cornered. "I don't care if you screw his brains out! Just make sure my niece is taken care of first!"

Jo nodded slowly, pursing her lips. "Okay, fine."

"Where are you going?" Alex demanded as he watched her snatch up her keys from the coffee table.

"I'm going to fix things with Jason!" Jo shot back as she neared the door.

"What about Sarah?!"

The nanny turned and glared at her boss. "Consider this my lunch break," she spat before storming out, slamming the door behind her.

Alex hurried after Jo, grasping the doorknob before finally being able to make himself stop. No. He couldn't run after her; he had no right to run after her. Jo wasn't his girlfriend. It didn't matter if he had developed feelings for her...he couldn't do this to her. Especially when he had a girlfriend. Alex pressed his forehead to the door and let out a heavy sigh as his grip tightened on the knob. God how he wanted to chase her; tell her that he was jealous. He was jealous of Jason, and he wanted to change their relationship. Alex wanted Jo for himself.

Luckily, Sarah's cries wafted through the house, jerking Alex from his thoughts. Alex forced himself away from the door and entered the nursery, easing Sarah from the crib and cradling her against his chest.

Jo dialed Jason's number as she sped through the streets of Seattle. "Damnit!" she cursed as the call immediately went to voicemail. Jason had either turned off his phone or rejected the call immediately; she wasn't sure which would be worse. The brunette's grip on the wheel tightened as angry tears threatened to spill from her eyes. How the hell could Alex _do_ that?! He'd just barged into her room and physically threw Jason out!

Jo refused to admit that it was kinda hot. Alex was clearly stacked, and he'd tossed the intern around like he was nothing.

The nanny pushed the thoughts of interest from her mind. Alex wasn't hot; he was an ass! He thought he could do whatever he wanted with his girlfriend, but Jo wasn't allowed to have a friend over? Alex didn't understand that Jo wasn't just his nanny; she was his prisoner! She spent every waking minute in that house! The only time she left was when she took Sarah to the park or did a little shopping. Her life was consumed with that baby. Not that Jo minded; she loved Sarah deeply, but Alex needed to understand that her life sucked! Jo didn't have any friends, she didn't go out, she didn't do anything! And the one time she did, _this_ is how Alex responds?!

Jo let the feelings of anger rage in her; it was easy to focus on those feelings rather than focusing on the fact that she'd given Alex every opportunity to tell her that he liked her, but he didn't say the words. The feelings were obviously only one-sided. Hers.

Minutes later the brunette pulled her beat up car into the visitor parking spot and ran towards the apartment building, following another visitor inside. At least Jason couldn't leave her stranded outside. She took a deep breath as she hurried towards apartment eleven. "Jason!" she called, pounding on the door. "Open up, it's me!"

Jason threw open the door, his face dark. "What?" he spat, not meeting her eye.

"I'm so sorry!" Jo exclaimed and bit her lip. "Can I come in?"

Jason gave her a hard look before stepping back, allowing her inside. "So, I met your boss today," he growled.

"I don't know why he did that," Jo sighed, running her hands through her hair. "I'm so sorry, Jason! I never would have invited you over if I thought..." Her voice trailed off as she took Jason in.

Jason was pissed. His jaw was tightened, his fists were balled at his sides, and his eyes had this hardness to them that she'd never seen before. "You should have told me the truth, Jo," he snarled. "All you had to do was tell me you're fucking your boss."

"I'm not!" Jo gasped, taking a step back. How could Jason _think_ that?! "I swear, Alex and I are strictly professional!"

"Yeah, he acted real professional today," Jason snapped back. "You never even thought what this would do to me and my career! Damnit, Jo! Do you know what they'll do to me in that hospital when they find out I made a move on Alex's tramp?!" Jason was beyond angry. It was clear to him that Alex had tossed him out on his ass because Alex and Jo were a thing. No guy acted that way over someone he didn't care about.

Jo's eyes narrowed in anger. "I'm not his tramp!" she yelled back. "And don't you ever talk to me like that, you got it?!"

Jason quirked his head. "I call 'em like I see 'em."

"Screw you," Jo hissed, pushing past him to leave the apartment. "Let me go!" she exclaimed when Jason's hand wrapped around her arm. He easily overpowered her and snatched her against him. "I said let me go!" she yelled, thrusting her knee between his legs and wiggling from his grasp as he screamed out.

Jo ran towards the door, but was snatched back by the strong intern. Then, everything went black.

* * *

Alex jumped in the dark living room as the clock chimed eleven pm. He hadn't heard from Jo since she'd run from his house hours earlier. He tried to call and check on her, but she never answered. He was beginning to get worried. Had something happened? Did Jo have car trouble? Had that clunker of hers stranded her somewhere?

Or...

Had she and Jason made up, and Jo was spending the night at his place?

Alex sighed with relief when headlights swept across his window, and he heard the familiar rattling of Jo's car. She was okay; everything was fine. "Hey," he greeted, reaching over for the lamp after Jo stepped inside.

"Don't," the nanny replied quickly.

Alex stopped cold. Jo's voice sounded different. Strained. Like she was upset. He flipped on the lamp anyway.

Jo cringed and huddled into the sweatshirt she'd picked up at a local retail store.

Alex moved to his feet slowly, taking Jo in. Her hair was a mess, and she was wearing a sweatshirt and black sunglasses. He cleared his throat. "Why are you wearing sunglasses, Jo?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Jo dropped her head and swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "It's the pollen," she replied flippantly. "My, uh, sinuses are all messed up. I picked up some allergy drops, and my eyes are just sensitive to the light. See you in the morning."

Alex's arm shot out, preventing her from passing him. He had seen the glasses many times in his life. He'd heard that frightened tone many times as well. His mother always wore sunglasses to cover the beatings she took from Jimmy. "Take off the glasses, Jo."

Jo simply shook her head. "Don't!" she cried as Alex's hand moved up to grasp the plastic frames.

Alex pursed his lips and inhaled deeply through his nose as his eyes closed. That bastard had hurt her. "Take off the glasses."

Jo looked to the side as her bottom lip trembled. She nodded slowly before bringing her hand up and pulling off the sunglasses, exposing the swollen eyelid and the black and blue brusing that circled her right eye.


	9. Chapter 9 - Seeing Red

**A/N - Thank you all for the wonderful reviews for chapter 8! I'm so glad it hit home like it was supposed to! You guys are an awesome fandom, and you pick up SO well on the little details. I definitely see more Jolex fics in my future :D**

**BTW, I'm usually an evil writer who leaves little cliffies like in chapter 8, then doesn't update for a week, minimum. It's a sickness, really, and I should probably get it checked out. Anyway, since you guys were so loving & supportive, I decided to update quickly :)**

* * *

Chapter 9 - Seeing Red

Alex felt like the wind had been knocked out of him as his gaze settled on the fresh bruises circling Jo's eye. His eyes immediately scanned her face, noticing a gash on her bottom lip. He forced all emotion from his face as his hand moved to her elbow. "Let's get some ice," he spoke quietly and started towards the kitchen, feeling Jo wince at his touch. "Hey," he said softly, turning back to her. "You're safe here."

Jo nodded numbly and snuggled into the sweatshirt, the one thing that could provide her comfort since the incident. She'd never expected Jason to physically hit her; she supposed she'd caused it by raising her voice and then kneeing him when he grabbed her. Believe it or not, the nanny had never been hit before. No one in the foster homes dared lay a hand on her. Once or twice a few of the older boys tried to wrestle with her, but she was quick and strong, so she easily ran from them after driving her knee between their legs. It was her go-to move that usually ensured her freedom, but Jason...Jason was so much stronger. He was upon her before she was able to reach the door, and then...pain...so much pain... Jo wiped at her cheek stubbornly as a tear rolled along her skin.

"It's okay," Alex said gently as he guided her into one of the dining chairs. "You're safe here. I promise, I won't let him hurt you again." The pediatrician had already shifted into auto-pilot. The familiar phrases of comfort entered his mind as he rubbed her back absently. How many times had he whispered those exact words to his mother after Jimmy knocked her around? Alex shook away the memories and started towards the kitchen, but stopped and turned when Jo gripped his arm.

"Don't go," she whispered.

Alex nodded knowingly and pulled up a chair beside her, sitting down and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Jo curled into his chest, bringing her thumb to her mouth and chewing on her nail nervously. Seconds later she sniffed and then started to cry softly. Alex closed his eyes, gripping the arm of the chair tightly with his free hand. The rage that had consumed him mere hours earlier was _nothing_ compared to what he was feeling at that very moment. Jason was a dead man; he just didn't know it.

Jo tried desperately to control herself, to reign in the emotions, but she was too traumatized. The images kept flashing over and over in her head-Jason grabbed her and dragged her to the floor, screaming that she was a slut and had nearly ruined his career. Then, his raised fist crossed her field of vision before it connected with her eye. The force behind the blow literally knocked the air out of her. Jason dragged her to her feet and shoved her out of his apartment and to the ground, the force causing Jo to bite her own lip. She scrambled to her feet and ran from the building, terrified that he would come after her. The pain didn't register until she was in her car and driving down the street. It was only then that she realized that her eye was swelling shut, and she could only see out of her left eye. Shaking, Jo managed to maneuver her car into the parking lot of a retail store. She sat trembling in her car for a few hours, jumping each time Alex dialed her phone. A part of her wanted to answer and have Alex help her, but she knew that Alex wouldn't let this go. The only thing that made Jo return home was knowing that her boss would probably come looking for her if she didn't show up.

Alex held Jo for several more minutes in silence as her cries slowly eased, and then stopped altogether. "You really need some ice on that eye," he said gently after clearing his throat. Jo hesitated, then nodded slowly and shifted away from him. Alex moved to his feet and into the kitchen quickly, gathering a ziplock bag and filling it with ice, then wrapping the bag with a dish towel. How many times had he made these for his mother?

"Thanks," Jo mumbled as Alex returned to her side and eased the icepack to her eye. "I've got it."

Alex withdrew his hand slowly and tucked her stray hair behind her ear gently. "I'm so sorry, Jo," he apologized quietly. Deep down, Alex knew that _he_ was to blame for Jo being hurt. He'd completely over-reacted, and that's why Jason had hit the young woman. Jason couldn't retaliate on Alex, so he took it out on Jo.

"It's not your fault," Jo mumbled.

Alex let a brief silence settle between them before he spoke again. "What happened?"

Jo's gaze dropped to the ground as the images flashed in her mind again. "I tried to apologize...but he accused us of sleeping together...he said something about his career..." Everything prior to the blow was sort of fuzzy. "He called me a tramp...I yelled at him...he grabbed me...I hit him below the belt...then he...he..."

"Ssshhhh," Alex soothed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I get it." The words came out barely above a whisper. Yep, he was to blame for Jason hurting her. Alex strayed his hand up and down her arm gently as Jo leaned her head onto his shoulder. "You should rest," he whispered half an hour later.

"I _am_ tired," Jo murmured as she eased away from him, grimacing as she pulled the icepack from her eye.

Alex lay the pack on the table and helped Jo to her room. "Do you want to change?" he asked, motioning to the sweatshirt.

"No!" Jo exclaimed, retreating inside the shirt. "No," she added quickly in a softer tone. "This is fine."

Alex nodded and pulled the bedspread and sheet back so that she could climb into bed. Once Jo was settled in, he pulled the covers over her, tucking them around her gently. "You have my cell number. Call me if you need anything."

Jo bolted into a sitting position and grabbed his arm desperately as he turned to leave. "Alex, no!" she begged, panicking. "No, please don't! Just let it go! Please! Don't do anything! It's fine, I'm fine! Don't!" She tugged him towards the bed.

"He's not getting away with this, Jo," Alex growled, shifting away from her.

"Please don't, _please_!" the nanny begged, tears welling in her eyes. "Please, Alex, please! Just leave it alone!"

Alex sighed heavily, allowing the younger woman to pull him to her bed. He could wait until she fell asleep. He had plenty of time. "Okay, fine, I won't."

"Stay with me," Jo said softly and scooted over in the full size bed.

Alex raised an eyebrow before sitting on the mattress and extending his legs. "I know what you're doing," he stated as Jo curled against him.

"I just don't want to be alone," she whispered back, which wasn't a complete lie. No, Jo _didn't_ want to be alone right now, but she also didn't want Alex to leave. She figured Alex would settle the score with Jason, and the nanny just wanted it to all be over. Alex couldn't risk his medical license because she had caused a man to hit her.

Jo wasn't sure how long she and Alex sat quietly in the dark, but she felt sleep trying to consume her. She fought it off as long as she could, jerking herself awake after she closed her eyes for a few seconds. Finally, the tired woman gave in and fell asleep against Alex's chest. Alex slowly counted to one hundred in his head to make sure that she was truly asleep before he eased away from her and lay Jo back on her pillows gently. He pulled the covers around her and placed a timid kiss to her temple.

After checking on Sarah and ensuring that the baby monitor was on, Alex retrieved his keys and left the townhouse behind in a matter of seconds. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as his foot forced the pedal to the floor. Minutes later he was stalking the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial, headed for the pit. "Olivia!" he barked as his eyes landed on the redhaired nurse. "There's been an accident with an incoming trauma. Dr. Myers is on my services. Page him. Now!"

Olivia jumped at the authority to Alex's voice. "Yes, Dr. Karev!" she exclaimed, hurrying to the phone.

Alex spun and stalked back towards the hospital entrance, prowling the parking lot like a caged animal. Twenty minutes later the red mustang came into view as Jason pulled in. Alex started towards the car, barely letting the intern step out before his fist connected with the man's jaw. The rage flooded through Alex as he grasped the intern by the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet, right hooking him in the eye. "Not so tough when you're fighting a man, huh?" Alex sneered and hauled the intern to his feet again.

Jason raised his fist to fight back, but after several failed attempts, he eventually gave up.

Alex pounded away at the intern for several minutes before finally dropping him to the pavement and gasping for air as sweat poured from his body. "Now, listen to me," he growled, squatting over the intern and grasping him by the collar of his shirt. "Are you listening?"

"Y-Yeah," Jason coughed.

"Don't think you're going to puss out and report me," Alex threatened through gritted teeth, "because if you do, I'll report what you did to Jo. Your career will be over before it even begins. Not many patients want a doctor who reportedly hits women. Got it?"

"Got it," Jason groaned.

"You're also going to transfer," Alex spat, "because if I _see_ you again, I'm going to beat the hell out of you. If you don't believe me, test me." Alex shoved the intern to the pavement and stood. "Test. Me." The pediatrician glowered at the intern before turning and stomping to his car.

The next morning Jo winced as her eyes fluttered open. The events of the night before came to mind as she pushed herself up and gently touched at her eye; it was less swollen this morning thanks to the ice pack Alex had given her the night before. Jo scanned the room and stopped as her eyes settled on Alex who was sitting in her desk chair. "Hey."

"Hey," Alex greeted quietly.

Jo looked around unsurely. "Are-Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Yeah, but I took a few days off."

The nanny bit her lip and looked to her bedspread, running her finger along the pattern. "Why?" she asked carefully.

Alex cleared his throat and leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Jo sighed softly, feeling her heart melt. He wanted to make sure she was okay? How sweet! "I'm fine," she assured him quietly.

Alex nodded; he hadn't expected her to say anything else. The woman had shattered the night before, but she wasn't the type to wallow in her misery. She'd pick herself up and continue forward, leaving the events of last night behind her. He cleared his throat and moved to his feet. "I picked up some biscuits. I know it's not the healthy junk you like, but.."

Jo smiled happily. "It's perfect."

Alex and Jo slipped back into their casual relationship, neither of them speaking of the events that occured the day before. Neither of them addressed Alex's insane jealousy as he hauled the intern from his home. Neither of them mentioned Jo coming home with a black eye. And they most certainly didn't acknowledge the bonding moment they'd shared when Jo curled against him for comfort.

Holding Jo felt so..._right_ to Alex. He knew that it was time to end things with Izzie. He had fallen into a relationship of comfort rather than a relationship of love. Alex's feelings for Izzie had become lukewarm over the past several months. He didn't actively love her, but he didn't not love her either. He was comfortable. _They_ were comfortable. They were career focused, traveled, and had great sex. Their 'relationship' could be the typical friends with benefits arrangement. Alex and Izzie were not _in_ love, and they hadn't been for a long time. As soon as Jo was back on her feet, Alex was going to break up with Izzie. It was official.

"Come on, Sarah," Jo begged Wednesday morning as she stirred the rice cereal in the colorful plastic bowl. "Just try it! It's yummy, I promise!" Jo moved the spoon towards Sarah's mouth, making an airplane noise, but the infant refused to open her mouth.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked as he entered the kitchen in lounge pants and a grey tshirt. He instantly noticed that the bruises to Jo's eye seemed to be fading.

"I'm trying to introduce the rice cereal," Jo explained as she glanced over to Alex, noting that he looked damn good to have just rolled out of bed. "She's old enough, you know? But...she won't even try it." The nanny turned her attention back to the baby. "Sarah, please? Just try it. It's so good! Watch." Jo took a bite of the cereal and made a face. "Holy crap that's bad!"

Alex chuckled when Sarah laughed at the nanny. "You're missing the secret ingredient," he smirked and moved to the cabinet beside the refrigerator where Jo stored Sarah's food.

"Bananas?" Jo asked skeptically as the doctor retrieved a jar of baby food. "You really think that's going to do it?"

"Wanna bet?" Alex smirked, forcing his eye to not linger on her bruises.

"Name your stakes," Jo challenged.

"If she eats this, you do my laundry for a month."

Jo's brows knit together; she wasn't sure if she liked the stakes. "And if I win?"

"I'll cook for a month."

"I don't want to starve!"

"Ha ha," Alex rolled his eyes. "So, do we have a bet or what?"

"You're on," Jo offered him the bowl of cereal.

"You're _so_ going to lose," Alex grinned as he retrieved the infant spoon and dipped a small amount of bananas into the cereal. "Put this up," he thrust the jar into the nanny's hand.

"I'm not your slave," Jo grumbled but moved to the refrigerator anyway, plunking the jar onto the top shelf.

"That silly woman doesn't know what you like, does she?" Alex asked Sarah as he stirred the bananas into the cereal. "She doesn't know about the Karev sweet tooth, does she, Sarah?" The baby cooed, watching Alex intently.

"Cheater!" Jo exclaimed as Alex held the spoon in front of Sarah's nose, then guided it into her open mouth. "I am _not_ doing your laundry!"

"Oh yes you are," Alex grinned wickedly.

"You're a pediatrician!" the nanny fired back. "You knew about that little fruit trick!"

"I sure did," Alex laughed unapologetically. "Don't mess with the best, babe."

Jo opened her mouth to sass him, but laughed when Sarah threw her arms around, sending the rice cereal flying onto Alex's shirt. "Good girl, Sarah!"

"Now, Sarah," Alex started, but stopped when Sarah did it again, sending the cereal onto his cheek this time.

"I think Sarah actually won this bet," Jo giggled and moved to the sink, wetting a dish cloth.

"I think you're right," Alex chuckled as Jo moved to his side and dabbed at the cereal on his cheek, then wiped at his chest. He didn't know why he did it, but Alex's hand cupped her cheek, his thumb resting near her eye. "Sorry," he murmured when Jo winced.

"It's just, uh, sore," she whispered, meeting his eyes.

"I'm so sorry about this," Alex said quietly, rubbing his thumb gently along her skin.

"It's nothing," Jo dismissed and cleared her throat.

Alex shifted towards Jo fractionally, but forced himself to stop. No, not now. Not yet. He forced himself away from the brunette and reluctantly dropped his hand. "Can you, uh, feed her the rest? I should probably check in at the clinic."

"Yeah, of course," Jo shrugged, forcing her attention back to Sarah. What in the world had just happened?! She took a slow breath in an attempt to calm her pounding heart. It seemed that Alex was going to kiss her! Was it possible...could he care for her... No, he just felt bad that Jason had hurt her.

Alex hesitated in the door of the kitchen, looking back to the nanny and watching her. Not many women could bounce back from what she'd endured less than forty-eight hours ago; most would still be in bed in the fetal position. Jo...Jo was exceptional. _She_ was someone that he could be _in_ love with. The doctor jarred when her heard his cell ringing in his bedroom. "Hello?" he answered after jogging to the room and snatching up the phone.

"Oh my God, are you okay?!" Izzie exclaimed. "I haven't heard from you, and you're not at work?!"

Alex groaned and brought his fingers to his temple. "Yeah, I took a few days off to be with Jo."

"To be with Jo?!" Izzie screeched. "Are you serious, Alex?"

"Oh, stop it," the annoyed doctor snapped. "It's nothing like that!" He hesitated to tell Izzie the truth, but...it wouldn't hurt to get the word out about Jason. "Jason hit her Monday night. She's very upset."

Izzie remained silent for a few moments before speaking. "So the rumors are true."

"What?!" Alex exploded. "You heard that the bastard hits women, and you introduced him to Jo?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"You can't believe everything you hear!" Izzie shot back. "If the rumors were actually true, Jason never would have become a doctor! You know how the truth gets stretched..."

Alex didn't even bother to listen to Izzie; he was too focused on the fact that she'd heard something like that about a man, yet still introduced him to Jo. If Izzie had never introduced them, Jo might not have ever been hurt. "You knew he had a reputation of hitting women," he cut off his girlfriend, "and you introduced him to Jo?"

"Alex..."

"Don't," Alex snapped. "Just don't." He ran his hand over his hair as disgust waved through him. A part of him began to wonder if Izzie had done it on purpose. Did she purposely set Jo up with an absuser because she was jealous? The thought sickened him to his soul. "I've got to go, Izz." He ended the call without saying another word.

Alex's cellphone began to ring as Izzie called him again. He shook his head and turned the phone off.

It took all day for Alex to shake the feeling of disgust from his core. Deep down, he suspected that Izzie had done it on purpose. He wanted to be wrong. God, he wanted to be wrong, but he had this bad feeling that it was done purposely.

"You okay?" Jo asked as she moved towards the kitchen after putting Sarah to bed for the night.

"Yeah, just thinking," Alex muttered and shook his head. "What are you up to?"

"I was going to pop some popcorn and watch a movie."

Alex glanced to the blank big-screen television. "Wanna watch it in here?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Jo chewed her lip, suddenly aware that she was in her plaid pajama shorts and ratty tshirt.

"Nah," the doctor shrugged. "What are you watching?"

"_The Fast and the Furious_," Jo grinned. She took another step towards the kitchen, then stopped, looking back to Alex. "Do you, uh, want to watch it with me?"

Alex stopped the smile that threatened to cross his lips. "Yeah, sure," he shrugged casually.

Jo ducked her head and skipped to the kitchen, hopping from foot to foot and smiling widely as she popped the popcorn. For whatever reason...watching a movie with Alex made her feel all giddy. "No bitching about my popcorn," she said after moving onto the couch. "It's air popped."

"No oil, great," Alex remarked before grabbing a handful and stuffing it into his mouth. "This tastes like crap."

"Then don't eat it," Jo replied sweetly before putting the disc into the blu-ray player.

Alex watched her a moment, realizing that Jo was truly beautiful inside and out. And sometimes...the best things were right under your nose.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Ultimatum

**A/N - I am alive! Thank you for the concerned reviews & tweets! My personal life has been insane lately! There's been some family issues, I've worked at 2 camps, and VBS is going on this week, and I've been involved with that! Things will be smoothing out in the next few days, so expect more updates to my other stories as well! I way behind on reading & messages, so please give me some time to answer that too :)**

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Chapter 10 - The Ultimatum

Time is a wonderful thing; it works like magic. Time has the ability to mend fences, bandage hurts, and soften anger. Time also allows bruises to fade. Several weeks after the Jason incident, Jo's bruises were barely recognizable. Alex was the only one who could see the faint color to the corner of her eye; no one else would ever know what the young woman had endured.

Alex had hoped that the magic of time would clear his head, but it only made him realize what his heart had figured out weeks earlier. He had ever-so-slowly fallen in love with his nanny Jo Wilson. It was such a slow, natural progression that the doctor didn't even recognize that it was happening. Jo had gone from a stranger hired to take care of his niece to his friend. His best friend, in fact. The nanny listened to him, offered advice, told him when he was being a douche, and simply sat with him when she couldn't offer any words of comfort. In a short amount of time, she had come to be a significant part of his life. Alex could no longer imagine his life without the sassy brunette.

The doctor cleared his throat and adjusted his lab coat as he sat in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Izzie had asked him to dinner, and she seemed quite adamant that he meet her; the tone of her voice told him that something was on her mind. "Hey," he greeted and rose to his feet as the host brought his girlfriend to the table and called over the waitress.

"Hey," Izzie replied blandly and pecked his cheek platonically before ordering a Pinot Grigio and easing into the chair.

Alex's eyes shifted to the waitress as he sat down as well. "I'll have the same." He wished he could order a shot of whiskey; it seemed he would need it. He laced his fingers and looked over to his girlfriend. Izzie's lips were tight and her jaw was set. Whatever was going on in her head...she'd been thinking on it for some time. "How was your day?"

"Let's skip the small talk," the blonde dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I wanted to meet with you for a reason."

"Clearly," Alex replied dryly, longing for that shot of whiskey even more. "What's on your mind, Izz?"

Izzie looked to the table for a moment and ran her finger along the pattern of the napkin. "Do you love me, Alex?" she asked quietly, moving her eyes to meet his.

"Of course," Alex replied immediately. It was an easy answer; he _did_ love Izzie. But...loving someone and being _in_ love with someone were two completely different things.

The beautiful blonde nodded slowly, seeming satisfied with his answer. "We've been at a standstill for a while," she spoke after taking a deep breath for courage. "Our relationship has frozen. We need to move forward..."

"Izzie," Alex started, feeling that cold fear move through his veins. She was pulling out the marriage card again. "We've talked about this before..."

"No, _you've_ talked about it," Izzie cut him off. "I tell you what I want, and you shoot me down."

"I don't shoot you down," Alex frowned, his brows knitting together. "I've explained that I'm not ready for marriage."

"Bullshit," Izzie muttered, shaking her head.

"Excuse me?" Alex asked, his eyebrows shooting skyward.

"I said that's bullshit," Izzie glared. "That's the typical line men shovel when they just don't _want_ to get married. It's not that you're not ready; you just don't want to marry me."

Alex sat back stunned. The gloves were off, and it seemed that the two of them were about to get down and dirty. Izzie wasn't holding back this time...and neither was he. He inhaled deeply through his nose and released the breath slowly through parted lips. "It's not a line..."

"We're getting married, or we've breaking up." The blonde threw down the gauntlet and crossed her arms, prepared for battle.

"I don't do well with ultimatums," Alex growled, snatching up the glass the waitress set in front of him.

"I'm not wasting any more of my time," Izzie countered. "We've known each other for years, Alex. You should know by now if you love me enough to marry me, and if you don't, then we're wasting our time."

Alex shook his head bitterly and looked down. It always came back to Izzie and what she wanted. The beautiful, selfish woman never considered how his life had been turned upside down lately. "Are you ready for a family?" he asked seriously and met her hard eyes.

"What?" the blonde snapped, clearly caught off guard.

"You're not marrying me," Alex pointed out. "You're marrying me and Sarah. I have Sarah now. It's a package deal."

"I know that!"

Alex pursed his lips, forcing patience to replace the anger boiling within him. "You don't even look at her."

Izzie blinked. "What?"

"You don't even look at her," the pediatrician repeated. "You treat Sarah as an after thought, an inconvenience. You've never tried to bond with her, Izz, not once."

Izzie made a noise in the back of her throat and sipped her wine before speaking again. "_Our_ relationship shouldn't be based on if I interact with Sarah or not! That doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters!" Alex countered, an edge to his voice. "If we get married, it's not just you and me. We are instantly a family. We're husband and wife with a baby. Are you ready for that?"

Izzie hesitated. "Amber might come back."

"And she might not," Alex snapped harshly. "Even if she does, what about our kids?"

"Our kids?" Izzie raised her eyebrows. "You never wanted kids before."

"I've changed since residency," Alex pointed out before taking a sip of his wine. Working with Arizona had unearthed a deep love for children that Alex never even knew he possessed. He'd always been afraid that he'd continue the cycle of his father, but having Sarah dropped in his lap had shown him that he _wanted_ a family. He hesitated before speaking again. "Do you want children?"

"No," the blonde shook her head.

"You answered that rather fast."

"Because it's the truth," Izzie snipped. "We're at the height of our careers, Alex. Children means that one of us would have to quit, and it would probably be me." She took another sip of her wine before meeting his gaze. "I'm not willing to quit."

Alex nodded slowly. "It seems this discussion is over then."

Izzie dismissed the approaching waitress before speaking again. "So that's it? You're not even going to fight for us?"

The pediatrician gaped at her. "We've laid out what we want, Izz, and there's no compromising! We can't have half a child!"

Izzie made that noise of disgust that drove Alex up the wall. "Isn't it a little late to start a family, Alex?"

"Watch yourself," Alex warned.

"I'm just saying..."

"No, you're not just saying," he snapped. "You're trying to manipulate me into doing what you want, and it's not going to happen this time. Kids are a deal breaker for me. I want them, and I'm not budging." Alex threw down his own gauntlet and sat back.

The blonde tossed her hair over her shoulder, opening and closing her mouth several times before finally speaking. "I _don't_ want them, and _I'm_ not budging."

"Fine!"

"Fine!" Izzie gulped down the wine to calm her nerves. Alex could play the kid card all he wanted, but she knew what was fueling him not wanting to marry her. "Is this about Jo?"

Alex sighed heavily. "Why does this keep coming back to Jo?" he asked and rubbed his throbbing temples. Izzie's insecurity was frustrating; if she didn't trust him with the nanny, then why wouldn't she just go ahead and end things?

"You've changed," Izzie whispered, dropping her eyes to the table. "You've changed since meeting her."

"I haven't changed."

"Yes, you have." The blonde fumbled with her silverware, picking it up and rearranging it several times before looking across the table. "You're different now, Alex." The distance between herself and Alex had grown since he hired the nanny.

Alex pursed his lips. "I'm sorry..." He wasn't sure if those were the right words to say, but he knew that those were the words that Izzie wanted to hear. And Alex _did_ owe her an apology; he should have ended this relationship long before this conversation.

Izzie licked her lower lip and glanced away from him before looking back. "Have you cheated on me?"

"No."

The blonde watched him closely, studying his body language for any hint of lying. "I believe you."

"The fact that you had to ask me that shows that we shouldn't be together."

Izzie dropped her gaze, knowing that Alex was right. They shouldn't be together if she couldn't trust him. "We get married or we break up," she stated firmly.

Alex picked up his wine glass slowly, savoring the liquid as his mind roamed. His whole life had changed since Sarah and Jo entered it, but he thought that it had changed for the better. The pediatrician had been putting up a front for years, feeling the need to live up to the luxurious life of a doctor, but...his best memory was cooking with Jo, not eating at some five-star restaurant with Izzie. Jo had reminded him that he enjoyed the little things in life, and he didn't need money and fame to be happy. "We're comfortable, Izz," Alex chose his words carefully. "We don't have an active love anymore. We love each other, yes, but...we're not _in_ love." He reached out and took her hand. "We haven't been in a long time."

"Yeah," Izzie whispered, nodding and pulling her hand away from his.

"People in love don't resort to ultimatums."

The dermatologist nodded and brushed a stray tear from her cheek. She sniffed softly before putting on her poker face and looking him in the eye. "Goodbye, Alex."

Alex held her gaze a few seconds before putting his hands to the table and pushing himself up. "Goodbye, Izzie," he placed a kiss to her cheek before walking away from the table. His footsteps thundered in his ears as he left the restaurant and crossed the parking lot to his car. It wasn't until he was almost home that he realized something.

He was free.

Alex was finally free. Not that life with Izzie was a life of bondage, but he was free from being someone he wasn't. He was finally free to be himself. No more expectations. The pediatrician felt a lift in his spirits as he pulled his charger into his driveway. Things would be better now.

After stepping into his townhouse, the doctor scanned his living room, noticing Sarah in her playpen with some goofy cartoon playing on the television screen. Sarah seemed happy and made random squeals when a bright pink colored character appeared. It was clear that she was going to be a total girly girl. The thought made Alex smile as he walked over to the playpen and leaned down, tickling her feet. "Jo?" he questioned, looking around the vacant living room as he stood and started towards the kitchen. Alex leaned against the door frame quietly as he watched Jo rattle around the sink. "Sorry," he murmured when she turned and jumped.

"You scared me," Jo gasped and closed her eyes for a second.

"Good thing I'm not a burglar," Alex smirked.

"Very funny," Jo rolled her eyes before dropping the plate into the dishwasher.

"What are you doing?" the doctor asked as he watched the nanny scrub another plate before putting it into the machine.

"You have to wash the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher," the nanny rolled her eyes.

"I don't."

"Yeah, and that's why your dishes have dried food stuck to them," Jo quipped with a crinkled nose. She rinsed a baking dish before glancing back to him. "Long day at the clinic?" she made small talk.

"Something like that," Alex replied and eased into the kitchen, taking a seat at the bar.

Jo glanced to him before her eyes shifted to the plate on the stove. "Have you eaten?"

"No." The doctor could honestly say that he and Izzie never made it to dinner.

"Well, I, uh, had this craving for Mexican tonight," the nanny began, stumbling over her words, "and I've got some left overs...thing is, my Mexican craving is fixed, you know? Anyway, eat this so I don't have to make myself eat it later." She set the plate in front of her boss and became occupied with loading the dishwasher again.

Alex looked to the plate of food set in front of him, then looked back to the brunette. "Did...you cook dinner for me?"

"No," she spoke quickly. "I just didn't want left overs." Jo dropped some silverware into the dish basket and shrugged casually. "It's probably better than that take out crap you get all the time."

"We'll just have to see about that," Alex smirked before retrieving a fork and cutting into the chicken enchilada. "Mmmm, this is awesome," he praised before scooping up another bite.

Jo felt a giddy lift in her spirits as she turned her back to hide her smile. Yes, she had craved Mexican that night, but the left-over part was a sham. Alex had been so nice to her during the whole Jason thing that she'd wanted to repay him somehow. It had taken her several weeks to realize that Alex was constantly eating out and never fixed anything for himself at home. The nanny wasn't sure if he couldn't cook, or if it was just too much trouble to cook for one person. Either way, Jo loved to cook and thought the doctor might enjoy a home-cooked meal. "Hell yeah it is," she said as she noticed Alex looking to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Alex shrugged and looked to his plate.

Jo continued loading the dishwasher, but cast several quick glances to Alex. She could tell that something was bothering him, but what she couldn't figure out was if it was something bad. Her boss had this peculiar expression on his face; it was a mixture of sadness and relief. The nanny hoped he hadn't lost a patient today. After starting up the machine, Jo started towards the living room, but stopped. Something about Alex made her decide to stay with him.

"Are you babysitting me too?" Alex asked and looked over to her as the nanny sat on the stool beside him.

"Pfft, no," Jo rolled her eyes. "Sarah's favorite show is on, and I don't want to distract her."

"Yeah, cause she's _so_ watching it." The pediatrician glanced over to Jo and chuckled when she stuck her tongue out at him. He returned his gaze to his plate and continued to eat quietly until his plate was clean.

"Give me that," Jo tisked as Alex stood. "You'll just throw it in there without washing it."

Alex laughed and shook his head as the brunette took the plate to the sink and rinsed it off. "Want one?" he asked after opening the refrigerator and retrieving a beer.

"Yeah, but only one," Jo smirked. "I'm on the clock, and my boss is a tool."

"Ha ha." Alex twisted open the bottle for her and passed it to her before the two joined Sarah in the living room. He dropped onto the couch heavily and watched Jo as she lay out the blanket and retrieved Sarah, promptly placing her on her stomach. "She doesn't like that," he frowned.

"Shut up, she loves it," Jo countered as she sat on the opposite end of the couch.

Alex gave her a look before looking back to his niece, seeing the baby coo and push herself up. "She's gotten strong."

"Told you tummy time worked," the nanny stuck her tongue out.

The doctor rolled his eyes and took a long drink of his beer. The two sat there in silence as the television played an educational program with bright colors, and Sarah's squeals tickled their ears occasionally. Alex was half way finished with his bottle of beer before clearing his throat and speaking. "Izzie and I broke up tonight."

Jo sat stunned for a few minutes. Had..had she heard him right? Did he say that he and Izzie had broken up? As in, they were no longer dating? Izzie would no longer be coming over and marking her claim on Alex? The nanny shook from her daze and looked to her boss. "How do you feel about that?" She chose her words very carefully; she didn't want to make Alex mad by going into a tyrade about how bitchy Izzie was.

Alex shrugged. "I'm fine." He took another drink from the bottle and stared at the television screen. "What?" he asked, looking over to her after a few seconds of silence.

"Nothing," Jo shrugged and averted her eyes to the television.

Alex gave her a skeptical look before looking to the television as well. Some goofy green cat was counting to three. "It was a long time coming," he sighed heavily. "The relationship was over a long time ago, just...neither of us would actually make the break."

Jo bit her lip. "Do you love her?"

"I love her, yes, but...I'm not in love with her," the doctor sighed. "I've known her since I came to the hospital. We started out as friends, and just...I'll always love her that way, as a friend..." He shook his head and ran his hand over his hair. "I doubt she ever speaks to me again though."

"She'll come around," the nanny encouraged. "You're a decent guy."

"Decent?" Alex smirked in her direction.

"Well, you're no Romeo," Jo teased and slapped his arm playfully. She hesitated when Alex grinned and ducked his head. "Just do me a favor, okay?"

"Name it."

"Please don't bring in a string of chicks. It's only going to confuse Sarah." Yes, Jo was fishing. The very idea of Alex dating made her green with envy, and she wanted to fish for a compliment or two. Was he actually considering dating _her_, perhaps?

Alex met her gaze, seeing the vulnerability in her depths. "No string of chicks, I promise."

"Good," Jo blushed as her gaze flicked over to Sarah. "Alex, get your phone."

"Huh?" the doctor asked, dumbfounded.

"Get your phone!" Jo exclaimed, motioning to Sarah. "Hurry! She's rolling over!"

"She is?!" Alex asked, jerking his head in Sarah's direction as he stuffed his hand into his pocket and fished for his phone.

"Hurry, hurry!" the nanny shrieked, shaking his knee. Sarah was shifted onto her left shoulder and would roll over any second.

Alex grasped his phone, quickly pulling up the camera feature. "I'm getting it."

Jo moved to her feet and hurried to Sarah. "Come on, sweetie, you can do it!" she encouraged, moving to the other side of the infant. "You can do it, Sarah!" The nanny clapped and squealed when Sarah rolled onto her back and laughed, kicking her feet.

"Oh my God!" Alex exclaimed happily, feeling a tear brim his eye. He wiped it away quickly. "She did it! She rolled over! Sarah rolled over for the first time!" The doctor stopped the recording and stuffed the phone into his pocket before scooping up his niece and lavishing her with kisses. Jo joined his side, baby talking Sarah and kissing her cheeks as well. "That was amazing!"

"I thought she was close to rolling over the other day!" the brunette gushed. "I'm so glad you were here when she did it for the first time!"

"Me too," Alex smiled, easing Sarah into Jo's arms. The doctor already had the family he had come to long for-Jo and Sarah were his family. "Thank you."

Jo looked from the smiling baby to the man standing beside her. "For what?"

"For everything," Alex replied quietly. "For taking the job...spending time with her...helping her develop..." His gaze shifted to Sarah as he smoothed his fingers over her head. "I don't know how we would have made it without you, Jo."

Jo smiled softly, ducking her head and blinking back tears. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," the doctor nodded. He wanted to experience all of Sarah's 'firsts' with Jo at his side.


	11. Chapter 11 - Resisting Temptation

**A/N - Thank you all for the reviews! I'm so glad you're still enjoying this story! I haven't been able to respond to reviews individually lately because of my insane person life, but I DO still read them. Also, this chapter is dedicated to myjklove19 ;)**

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Chapter 11 - Resisting Temptation

"That's all of it," Izzie stated weeks later as she deposited a cardboard box into Alex's arms.

"Thanks," Alex muttered in reply and scanned the contents of the box. "Where's my Van Halen cd?"

"On your iPod," Izzie rolled her eyes. "I tossed that thing months ago. God, how could I date someone who likes Van Halen?"

"Because you're wise beyond your years," Alex smirked and set the box on the hood of his car. His gaze dropped as he cleared his throat. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Izzie replied flippantly and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I actually have a date tonight."

"Good," Alex nodded, running his hand over his hair. "That's good."

Izzie had truly surprised him in the weeks since their break up. He'd expected her to insist that they get back together, blame Jo for their break up, and basically be a royal bitch towards him. However, Izzie had taken the high road and dealt with their break up in a very clinical way; detached and unemotional, much like one would run a business. Alex had been left in complete peace; Izzie didn't blow up his phone with multiple calls, desperate texts, or voice mails cursing him up one side and down the other. Their relationship was over, no anesthesia.

"Yeah," Izzie mumbled, not really sure what to say. It was clear that they should have ended things months ago. The uncomfortable silence between them was unbearable. "I'll see you around," she offered lamely.

"Yeah, later." Alex leaned in and placed a platonic kiss to the blonde's cheek before gathering the box and tucking it into the backseat of his charger. He gave her a little wave before leaving the dermatology clinic behind. The pediatrician released a slow breath of relief as he pulled into Seattle traffic; it was finally over. Yes, he and Izzie ended their relationship weeks ago, but it wasn't officially over in his book until their items were exchanged. Plus, it was nice to know that the dermatologist hadn't burned everything he owned. At least they were able to end things amicably.

In a way, it was hard for Alex to believe that it had already been a few weeks since his breakup with his long-time girlfriend. Time flies when you're having fun.

The creep known as Jason Myers clearly hadn't taken Alex's threat seriously; he was still an intern at the hospital and actually had the nerve to rotate to the clinic! Alex had taken one look at him, and the feelings from their last encounter raged through his system. The pediatrician hauled the intern from the clinic and into the back alley, beating the hell out of him once again as images of Jo's bruised face flashed in his mind. Luckily for Myers, George had taken notice of Alex's brusque behavior and followed the men outside. After pulling Alex off of the younger man, George ripped each one of them a new one.

Jason transferred out of state the following day.

Luckily Jo had yet to discover Alex's involvement with Jason; she was too focused on Sarah. Thanks to the nanny, baby Sarah was rolling from back to front and front to back. Plus, the little one was not only pushing herself up, but also pushing up on her knees. Sarah would get on her hands and knees and wiggle back and forth before dropping to the floor and squealing with delight. Alex knew that it wouldn't be long before Sarah was crawling all over the place and he and Jo were chasing after her. Baby-proofing his townhouse would prove to be quite the chore. The thought made the doctor smile; he liked the idea of chasing a baby with Jo. In fact, he wouldn't mind doing _everything_ with Jo.

Alex had managed to keep things professional between himself and the hot nanny since his break up with Izzie, and it was driving him crazy! He was finally free, and while he wanted to kiss Jo senseless, he knew that he couldn't. Not yet anyway. It wasn't the right time. The pediatrician didn't want the nanny thinking she was simply a rebound. Jo deserved more respect than that.

That's why the doctor had taken the slow, courting approach with Jo; the brunette didn't even know he was doing it, he was being _that_ careful with her. One night, the doctor had 'accidentally' cooked too much chicken while Jo was shopping with Sarah. The story he'd told the nanny was that he was starving when he got home, but just couldn't make himself eat the second chicken breast, and it would suck once he threw it in the microwave the next day. Jo happily took the meal she didn't have to make for herself, and even praised Alex for finally appreciating real food. A few days later, Alex stopped at a convenience store after work and 'accidentally' grabbed Jo's favorite beer, and didn't realize it until he came home and the nanny pointed it out to him. Sure, he went back to the convenience store and got his own beer, but the point was...he bought some beer for Jo so that she could relax after a trying day. Then of course, there was the Chinese food he picked up after work because he was craving Chinese, when in reality, Alex only picked up the dinner for two because he knew that it was Jo's favorite. And last but not least, the good doctor stayed home Friday night with Sarah so that Jo could go to a movie with her best friend Leah.

What he was doing today though...it was off the charts. The brunette would definitely suspect something was up once he came home today. Pushing the apprehension from his mind, Alex parked his car and entered the store. After making the necessary changes to his account, the doctor left the store with slightly shaking hands. He was nervous! The previous womanizer was actually nervous...that had to be a good sign!

"Jo?" Alex called after parking his car and stepping inside his home minutes later.

"Hey," Jo smiled as she entered the living room. "I was hanging some pictures on the wall...I hope you don't mind." She bit her lip and studied him for any sign of anger.

"Pictures of Sarah?" the doctor smirked and set the bag on the coffee table.

"Of course!" Jo exclaimed, relieved that he wasn't mad. "Come check them out!" She skipped over to him, taking his hand and half dragging him down the hall. "Aren't they great?"

"Adorable," he smiled, his eyes skimming over the pictures of his niece. "She's really growing up on us."

Jo ducked her head and smiled. Us-he'd used the word us. "It won't be long until she's walking and talking," she mused, studying a picture of Alex holding Sarah. "Starting school..."

"Dating..."

"Ugh, I feel old already," Jo laughed, shaking her head. "I, uh, have a lasagna in the oven...if you're hungry."

"Lasagna is my favorite," Alex replied, glancing over to her.

"Oh, what a coincidence," the nanny shrugged and moved back into the living room as Sarah squealed in the playpen. Jo was playing innocent, but she remembered last month when Alex mentioned that he loved lasagna. "Silly girl," she cooed and reached into the playpen, tickling Sarah's stomach.

Alex tilted his head slightly, watching as the nanny's shorts lifted slightly. "I, uh, got you something today," he jarred from gawking and retrieved the bag from the coffee table, shifting the box between his hands.

"Oh really?" Jo turned her attention to her boss. "I've got plenty of beer, Alex."

"It's not beer," the doctor shook his head and pulled the box from the bag. "Here."

Jo startled as Alex thrust the box into her hands. She looked down to it, her eyebrows shooting skyward. "You-You got me a smartphone?" she questioned, turning wide eyes to the man standing across from her.

Alex had a whole speech prepared for her, but the words flew from his mind as soon as those gorgeous eyes focused on him. He hesitated, scrambling frantically for the logical reasons he had come up with earlier in the day. "You have a freaking flip phone!" he blurted out desperately.

The nanny's hand went to her hip as the other finger pointed at him. "Don't talk about my phone."

"The thing is a dinosaur!" Alex exclaimed and threw his hands up. "I mean, seriously, who even has a flip phone anymore?"

Jo chewed her lip and ducked her head. "It's what I could afford..."

Alex groaned, feeling like an ass. "You're on my plan," he stated quietly.

"How much?" the nanny challenged.

"Nothing," the doctor shook his head.

"You can't just pay my bill!"

Alex smirked. "The salary sucks, remember? It's the least I could do..." He cleared his throat and looked down. "You've done so much for us, Jo...please, let me do this." The pediatrician wanted to do something nice for Jo, and the phone seemed like something nice _and_ practical. The flip phone of hers was practically circling the drain, and Alex didn't want it dying on her and she end up stranded somewhere. Plus, the kind nanny deserved a smartphone. Most people in today's society took it for granted, but Jo had spent her life busting her ass for everything she owned. She deserved this, and if he could give it to her...

Jo chewed her lip, looking down to the boxed phone and blinked back tears. "Thank you, Alex, but...at least let me do something in return. I can cook all of us dinner twice a week." Yeah, all of them...like Sarah was eating grown-up food...

"You don't have to.."

"I want to," the nanny cut him off.

"I think we can arrange that."

"Good," Jo sighed with relief, then settled on the couch and ripped open the box. "I can get on Facebook now! Ooohh, and play Candy Crush!"

Alex chuckled and shook his head. "Do you need me to show you how to use it, Grandma?"

"Ha ha," Jo snipped sarcastically and stuck her tongue out at him. "Just cause I don't own one doesn't mean I don't know how to work it."

Alex smiled, watching as the brunette crossed her legs and powered up the phone. "Put it on the charger so you don't kill it in a few hours."

"Nag, nag."

The doctor chuckled and shook his head. "How long before the lasagna is ready?"

Jo glanced towards the kitchen, then to her watch. "Twenty minutes."

"Perfect. I'm going to get a shower."

"Yeah, yeah," she dismissed with a wave of her hand and pulled her old phone from her pocket, manually entering her contacts into her smartphone. After the numbers were secure, Jo sent a text to her friends, telling them that she had a new phone and to delete her old number. The woman frowned deeply as she tried to download an app-Alex had the wi-fi password protected. After checking on Sarah, Jo eased towards the bathroom. "Alex?" she called, knocking twice and pressing her ear to the door. It didn't sound like any water was running. "Hey, what's your pass-oh my," she gasped.

Time seemed to move in slow motion.

Jo stood frozen in the door of the bathroom as Alex stepped out of the glass shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. The nanny swallowed hard as her eyes darted to the man's defined pelvis before the towel covered his exposed waist. Her eyes trailed slowly up his muscled torso, his skin glistening with drops of water in all the right places. Jo actually felt her heart stop for a few beats.

"Jo?" Alex questioned as her eyes looked everywhere but his face.

"Yeah?" she breathed, her eyes scanning his shoulders. Good Lord, the man had muscles everywhere! Who knew that those professional scrubs were hiding all of this!

"Did you need something?" he prodded, taking a step towards her.

Jo stepped towards him instinctively as her mouth went dry. "I, umm, yeah, just..." The words fell from her mind as she continued to study her boss. The muscles, the definition, the water...she was on a sensory overload.

"Was it a question?" the doctor prompted, watching as her eyes continued to dance around.

"Uh, what?" the brunette jarred, meeting Alex's eyes for the first time since entering the bathroom.

Alex coughed to disguise the chuckle that left his lips. "You had a question, remember? You came in here to ask me something."

Jo quirked her head, trying with all of her might to remember why she'd come into the bathroom in the first place. Obviously, it didn't matter now. "The l-lasagna!" she jarred as the oven timer dinged.

Alex chuckled as the young woman scampered from the bathroom. A swell of pride filled him as he padded down the hall to his room. He wasn't a complete idiot-he'd seen Jo checking him out, and it was clear that she'd liked what she'd seen. In all the months of them living together, they had never seen each other in such an intimate setting. They'd respected one another's boundaries and given each other plenty of space when it came to showering and dressing. They always knocked on doors, so the pediatrician didn't know what had possessed Jo to just waltz into the bathroom. At least he'd already had the towel covering the good stuff when she came in...boy, that would have been awkward.

Jo flitted around the kitchen, easing Sarah into the high chair before pulling out the lasagna and letting it sit for a few minutes. Her hands trembled as she attempted to guide the spoon to Sarah's mouth. "You don't like peas today?" she sighed heavily as the baby swatted at the spoon.

"Maybe she thinks you're going to miss her mouth."

The nanny cringed as her boss appeared behind her. "It's been a long day," she retorted weakly.

"Then you should relax tonight," Alex advised and wrapped his hand around Jo's, steadying the shaking spoon and guiding it to Sarah's open mouth. "How's the phone?"

Jo's eyes darted to the side, seeing that her boss was fully dressed now. Thank God. "Wi-fi," she sighed, finally remembering why she'd entered the bathroom. "I-I, uh, need the wi-fi password if I'm, uh, going to, uh, install any apps." The nanny felt her cheeks flame as Alex kept his hand on hers and guided the spoon into the jar of baby food.

"I'll get it for you as soon as we finish dinner," the doctor replied smoothly as they continued to feed his niece. The freaking foreplay between himself and the nanny was the most arousing thing he'd ever experienced.

Jo mentally chastised herself as they continued to feed Sarah. How could she just..._stare_ at him like that?! She didn't even _say_ anything, she just ogled Alex like he was a piece of meat or something! "Can we, uh, not talk about what just happened?" she blurted out, looking up to him.

Alex jarred, stopping their hands midway to Sarah's mouth. "You don't want to talk about it?"

Jo bit her lip, seeing a look in the man's eyes that she'd never seen before. "It's just..it's embarrassing!" she exclaimed. "I acted like a complete idiot..." She ducked her head in shame.

Alex watched her closely, noting the crimson rise in her cheeks. "That's it?" he asked quietly. "You were just embarrassed?" A part of him hated himself for even asking Jo that question, but...she was a closed book to him. He couldn't read her as he could other women he'd been involved with. He didn't want to assume anything and be wrong...or not assume something and push her away.

"_Very_ embarrassed," the nanny replied softly and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Did you like what you saw?"

"Wh-What?" Jo stuttered, snatching her head up to look at him.

"Did you like what you saw?" Alex repeated, studying her eyes. He didn't expect her to tell him the truth, but he could at least tell if she were lying or not.

Jo's gaze shifted to Sarah as the baby shrieked and flung her arms around. "Here," she directed to the child and guided the spoon to her lips. "I, uh, well, you see..."

Alex withdrew his hand from around hers. "I get it."

"Wait!" Jo exclaimed, grabbing his wrist. "Yes."

"Yes?" the doctor clarified.

The brunette nodded her head before dropping her eyes. "I liked what I saw."

Alex pursed his lips, watching as Jo dropped the spoon into the empty jar of baby food, wiped Sarah's mouth, and moved to the counter to cut the lasagna. He noted her hands tremble slightly as she picked up the knife and began cutting along the edge of the lasagna. The sassy woman had just put herself out on a limb for him...he couldn't leave her hanging. The doctor cleared his throat, squared his shoulders, and moved behind her. "Jo," he spoke her name softly as he put his hands on the counter at either side of her waist.

Jo closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the smell of Alex arousing her senses. "Y-Yeah?" she choked out, noting his hard chest against her back.

Alex moved closer to her ear, catching the scent of her hair. "I like what I see too." He swallowed the lump in his throat before speaking again. "And I've liked it for a long time."


End file.
